Haunting Me in Dreams
by Feng Shui Goddess
Summary: We all know that Inu Yasha's mother died when he was very young, and that he had a lot of pain after her death. But just how did she die, and what was Inu Yasha's childhood really like? This fic is about Inu Yasha's difficult childhood and the pain he had
1. I'll Never Wake Up

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha, Takahashi Rumiko does. Don't get me wrong, I do own some pretty cool merchandise! ^ ^  
  
(:A.N.:) I'm taking some time off my current project, 'Iron Chef: Inu Yasha Style!' To write on a more serious manor. I believe that Inu Yasha is a great anime for humor, but even better for drama. So here's my Inu Yasha drama. Please rewiew after reading! Thank you! PS: this chapter is in Inu Yasha's POV, about his past.  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter One : I'll Never Wake Up  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
Surrounding me was darkness. Darkness everywhere, no matter where I turned, there was no light to be found. Some may say that it is a sad thing to live your life completely in darkness, but for me it was not. I'm not somebody else, so I don't think like sombody else. I think like me, because I am me. My light had disapeared a long time ago, when the only one who accepted me had died. You see, she fell very ill while she was still very young. I was always told that a demon had put a curse on her, because she was different form the demons she lived with. She was a very kind soul, and I could tell you everything about her perfectly from my mind. That's the problem with living in darkness. You can never let go of what's behind you. You always grasp onto those emotions that you always loved. You hold onto the things that keep you going, day by day. When you live in darkness, you have nothing in the present to live for, so you must muster the courage to recall past happiness. I've lived for a long time, and as I get older, memories sometimes tend to fade. Except for that one memory I love. That one person that I cared for so much. Oh, why did she have to leave me? Didn't she know about how long I would mourn her death? Didn't she care? She was so important to me, she lived in the most beautiful purity.  
  
My mother...  
  
I remember when I was young, how she would hold me in her arms and tell me that she loved me. She wasn't afraid of anything. She was so content, her light lit up even the eyes of people like me. I guess that's why my father loved her. When you looked into her eyes, all your sorrows drown away, and you felt so strong. So invincible. Like you could overpower even the darkest times. I remember when she and I would go out, how everyone would shun down upon she and I, because we both were different. My mother was a human living in a colony of demons, and I was a hybrid. When you're different than everyone else, it makes you happy when you're with someone who is also strange to other people. I wonder if she felt the same about me? What am I thinking.. of course she did. All mothers love their children more than anything, she told me so.   
  
Mother would teach me things when she and I were alone. She taught me how to read, and draw, and about music. I loved learning from her. It made her happy when I would learn, and it made me happy when I learned. My father wasn't home very often while mother was sick. I was told that he would go and visit his old lover, of whom he'd had a son with. A son that could be respected by a father. Of course my father loved my brother more than I. He was his first-born son, and a full blood demon. I could never live up to be as great as my brother... Sessho Maru. Day by day, my mother grew more and more ill and tired. I would go and pick flowers for her sometimes, and brew her tea. I would read her stories, and draw her pictures. I gave her my favorite blanket to sleep with, as well. When she was very weak, I would brush her long, midnight black hair for her, just as she used to do for herself. I would cook her food, and go shopping for her. As the days went by, mother got to the point of which she could not even stand up. I was devestated, I didn't know what to do. Finally, that dreaded day came, when she left me.  
  
I was out at the well, cleaning clothes, when my father approached me. "Inu Yasha," he said in his deep yet comforting voice, "she's gone." I kept on cleaning, not knowing what he was talking about. "Gone? Who's gone?" I asked, puzzled by the statement. "Your mother. She's just died." I dropped the clothes I was washing into the well, and my tears formed ripples in the water. "What are you talking about, Father? I just left the house an hour ago, and she was fine. There's no way anyhting like that happened! You're joking! It's not funny to joke like that!" With that I broke down and fell to the ground, sobbing. My father sat down next to me, and put my head in my lap, stroking my hair. I looked straight into my father's melancholy eyes. "It's all your fault! It's all your fault! You were never around to help me take care of her! You left me all alone with her! How could you?! How could you?!" I screamed at my father, not caring at what his reaction would be. "I'm sorry... You're right..." He said, to my disbelief. My father was not one to admit to his faults. But here he was, saying he was sorry. Nevertheless, I was torn. My light had just left me. Just like that, she was gone.   
  
I ran back to my home in the villiage, tears still streaming down my face. People stared and pointed at me as I passed them, but I didn't care. The wind rushed past me, and I closed my eyes tight. I was dreaming, because I knew that this moment could not be real. Where was I to go? What was I to do? When I finally made it to my house, I opened the door slowly, not wanting to face the truth. I stepped into where my mother was, and quietly shut the door. She lay there like an angel, her arms down by her sides, and the smell of tears on her face. Her long hair was spread out across the floor, and she was dressed in a purple silk kimono. Next to her lay a picture I had drawn her of she and I, reading "I love you." I noticed one of her hands was clentched tight around something. I opened her hand to reveal a piece of paper folded several times. On the paper was written "To Inu Yasha". I opened the paper slowly, as not to tear the thin rice paper. Inside was a letter written in black ink. It read:  
  
My Dearest Inu Yasha,  
I am sorry to leave you like this, but I am growing weaker and weaker by the hour, and I am afraid that my time here is over. I pray that you do not feel abandoned, for I stayed with you as long  
as I was allowed. Though I was not well for much of your life, I want you to know how proud I am   
of you, and what a wonderful person you are. As you get older, your memories of me will get  
fainter and fainter, and eventually you will forget about me, for the better. In my jewelry box is   
some money that should help you get through these tough times. I hope you can think of someone   
to stay with. Maybe it would be best if you stayed with your father and Sessho Maru. I hope you  
find happiness, Inu Yasha, because out of all the people I know, you deserve it most. Someday  
you'll find love, and I hope she is wonderful and loving, just like you were to me. I'm sorry to end  
this letter so short, but I am feeling very weak. I love you very much, my son.  
Love, Your Mother  
  
After reading the note, I refolded it and stuffed it into my kimono pocket. I went over to my mother's jewelry box on her dresser, and took out some money, about 12,000 yen. Once again I knealed over my mother, and laid on her chest, hoping that I would hear a heartbeat, or that she would say something. But I could not hear a heartbeat, or her blood running throught her veins. She was gone. Truly, she was gone. I built a big fire, and cremated my mother. Slowly, her smell that I love so much disappeared. Hundreds of sparks flew high into the dark night sky, some even landed on my kimono, but I didn't care. What I was doing was the most horrible punishment in the world. I sat down and watched, as my mothers body became ashes little by little. Tears began forming in my eyes, I didn't want to see her go. I remembered what my mother wrote me in her death note: 'I hope you find happiness, Inu Yasha.' Out of all the emotions racing in my mind at the moment, happiness was far from any of them. Slowly, my eyes grew weary, as I fell asleep against a tree close to the fire.  
  
When I woke up, the fire was out, and all that remained was the ashes of my mother. I some of her ashes into a small bottle, and then I sealed it up. Later that night, I put together my things that meant most to me: one of my mothers kimonos, a blanket she had knitted for me, my 12,000 yen, the note mother had written me, a book I had been taught in, and a picture mother had painted of the two of us. I tied all my items in a cloth sack, and left the only home I had ever known, in pursuit of happiness. Never looking back, I continued down the road to my fate, not beoing afraid, not feeling any emotions at all. I was now all alone. I continued down the dirt path for some time, until I realized that the only place I sould stay was with my father, his new wife (of whom was once his exwife) and my half brother. Never turning back, I walked for a long time, until I reached my destination.  
  
(A.N.) So, how was it? This was only the introduction to this fanfic, and I will continue if you like it. Please review, I'd appreciate it very much and I'll love you forever! 


	2. Unwanted

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha, Takahashi Rumiko does - -;; (like you thought I did)  
  
(A.N.) I've decided that I really like this story and that I am going to continue it. I like writing with different styles, and I find this one to be enjoyable. How do you like my story thus far? Tell me, won't you? I'll love you forever! lol Anyways, as we last left off, Inu Yasha's mother died and now he is off to live with his father, step mother, and half brother. I understand that I am changing the actual story line arounf a bit, so don't flame me for it! Thank you!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Two : Unwanted  
Written by : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
I approached a large, two-story home. The house looked rather modern for the time; two tall columns supported the upper floor of the house, and it had large windows. On both side of the front door grew exotic flowers, and cherry blossom trees were scattered around the lot. The house was surrounded by a tall fence structure, and there was a small pond with koi towards the back of the house. There was a fire pit in front of the home, and two polls with a string beteewn them for drying clothes. The house seemed rather nice, but I smelled trouble in the air. This wasn't the first time that I had been to this house, but the first time I had come by myself. Slowly I walked up a stone path that led to the large door of the house. I didn't know why I was so scared, but I was. Would Father be mad at me? And Sessho Maru never liked me that much, because I'm a hanyou. I decided I wasn't ready to go into the house quite yet, so I sat in front of the door on the cold stone. The sun was high in the sky, and it beat down on me with it's furious rays of light. I had never been so worried or scared in my life. If my father didn't want me, then who would? Would I always be alone in the world? It was hard for me to place my life into other people's hands, because I longed to be independant. Slowly I scraped my claws on the hard stone, sending shivers up my spine. The wind playfullky tossed leaves to and fro in the air. Tired of waiting for nothing, I stood up, grabbing my bag of things.   
  
Suddenly, I heard footsteps walking slowly around behind me. I quickly turned around to find two amber eyes staring into mine. His white hair was down past his back, and he had two pinstripes on his cheeks, and a crescent shape on his forehead. He was taller then I, but not by much. He wore an elaborate white kimono with exotic designes on the sleeves. Over his kimono he wore a thich chest plate with horns on it. His long white tail hung over his shoulder, as for it not ot drag on the ground. He smirked, "long time no see, Inu Yasha." I met his gaze with an angry one, "I'm not in the mood, Sessho Maru." Sessho Maru laughed at me, mockingly. "Why? Because your pathedic human mother died? You're so emotional that you don't even deserve to be called HALF a demon." I didn't care about Sessho Maru insulting me, but my mother was a different story. I stared down angrily at the ground. I wasn't in the mood to fight, but if he pushed me hard enough, my string might just snap. My mother never liked for me to fight, because she told me that only cowards would ever fight to protect their honor. She said that men with real honor would never fight. Sessho Maru laughed, and walked past me, purpously shoving me as he passed. I clenched my fists so tight, I drew blood. As Sessho Maru walked away, I gave him an angry glance, and followed him inside the house. Noticing that I was walking behind him, Sessho Maru glared at me. "What are you doing, following me? You stupid hanyou..." Getting pretty fed up with Sessho Maru, I snapped back. "I'm here to see my father!" Sessho Maru just laughed. "He doesn't want you anymore, didn't you know that? Why do you think he left your mother all alone to die? Because he doesn't care. About you or your dead human mother."  
  
With that I lost control, and I charged at Sessho Maru, my claws extended as far as they could go. Before he knew what had hit him, I strook him down with all my might, impaling him with my claws so hard I drew blood. With Sessho Maru pinned on the ground, I sunk my fangs into his arm and bit down as hard as I could. As Sessho Maru started to stand up, I attacked him again. "Claws of Blood!" I shouted as invisable blades of blood cut into Sessho Maru's skin. I finally allowed my half brother to stand, and he gave me a look of disbelief. "Fine. You can come in and see your father," he reasoned. Glad that I won the battle, I pushed past Sessho Maru and walked up to the door, and walked in. My father and his new wife sat at a table, and began to kiss. Not noticing I was there, the couple kept kissing even while I was in the room. I stared at my father in disbelief. I couldin't believe that he had moved on from my mother's death so quickly. It was as if he didn't even care that she was gone, and from the look of it, he was happy she had died. Sadly I looked down at the floor, wondering to myself why I had made the journey all the way to this house just to find my father practically cheating on Mother. My face started to get hot, as tears strated forming in my eyes. 'No, you musn't cry here, Inu Yasha. You must be strong and brave. You must show your father that you're a real man,' I thought to myself. I tightly shut my eyes, not allowing any tears to seep through. I felt a someone tap on my shoulder, and I looked up to find Sessho Maru with an evil expression on his face. "See," he said, "he doesn't care about you anymore. He has forgotten all about you, you stupid half breed." At that moment I knew that I would never be able to happily live with my father, espicially with his new wench and that damn Sessho Maru.   
  
"Father," I said loudly, to get his attention. My father looked up at me and smiled. "Oh, Inu Yasha. How nice to see you here," he said. I wasn't buying his act. I walked up to my father and stared directly at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I screamed. "You've already forgotten about Mother?! Who is this wench! How could you leave me all alone like this?! You never even came to visit me after Mother died! You...!" My father stared at me in annoyance, "Inu Yasha! How could you say those things to your father?! Why did you even come here, you know I don't want you anymore! You're 12 years old now, can't you live for yourself?! I've had it with you, Inu Yasha, get out of my house!" I stared at my father in shock. 'He doesn't want me anymore?' I thought to myself, 'how can this be?' Before walking away, I slapped my father's face, leaving slashes in his skin. Before I walked out of the door, my father smirked. "I'm so glad I poisoned your mother, Inu Yasha."  
  
(A.N:) That's it for chapter 2! I am sorry about the cliffhanger, but I would like you to continue to read this story with excitement. Please review this story and tell me how you like it, and what you think is good/bad about it. Thank you very much for giving the time to read this. 


	3. Searching

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha, so why don't you sue me?! ::snif:: these disclaimers hurt my feelings.  
  
(A.N:) Wow, this is my third chapter in this story: In one day! lol! I guess I really don't have a life. I am proud of this story so far, and I feel that it has a lot of potential. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed. (Lil Washu Chan, I am surprised you followed my command by reading and reviewing, thank you so much!) Also, I am very sorry about the major cliffhanger last chapter, but I want you people to continue reading. Thank you.  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter 3 : Searching  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
"I'm so glad I poisoned your mother, Inu Yasha," my father smirked. I stopped dead in my tracks. I was hearing things, right? This couldin't be real! Mother coudin't be dead... Father couldin't have killed her... This was a dream. I slowly closed my eyes, tightly shutting them. I could feel my blood rushing through my veins, my heart pounding. All the muscles in my body pulled tight. "You're kidding," I said, "you'd never do anything like that to her. You loved her, right? You loved me. We were a family, and we're still one." My father snorted, "why would I want a son who was a hybrid like you? Your kind shouldin't even exist. I don't even know what I was thinking, marrying your mother." I had had enough. I quickly turned to face my father. "I hate you! I hate you! I promise, I swear, that I will get you back for this! I'll kill you ALL!" I turned and ran towards the door, grabbing my things on the way out. Once I was outside, I ran past the enterance gates, to be greeted by Sessho Maru. "What... What the hell do you want?" I demanded, still overwhelmed by what had just happened. "I pity you, Inu Yasha," he announced. "Isn't that wonderful. I'm so happy for you," I said as I trudged off. "Wait!" Sessho Maru called me. I turned around, fed up, and asked, "what?" Sessho Maru held out his hand, "this is for you." He handed me a small envelope full of different sorts of money. "What's this for?" Sessho Maru smirked, "hell, you are my brother, aren't you? I figured you could use a little money." Was Sessho Maru actually being nice? Wait... he had just said he pitied me, so this money must be out of pity. "Thanks," I mumbled under my breath. "Good luck," he said, as I walked off.  
  
I walked slowly back towards my house. I didn't know who I was going to stay with, if anyone at all. Maybe it was best if I lived alone, in my solitude. The sun was almost set now, and the clouds burned a beautiful orange color. It was quite a ways back to my house, so I would have to hurry. As the sky grew darker, so did my fear. I was not afraid of the dark , but rather of whom was hiding in it. I'd heard stories of how dangerous the woods could be at night. There were very powerful demons, and hunters. But what was I afraid of? I was half a demon, anyways, so I was still good at fighting. When I was almost at my house, I heard a nearby tree shaking. Something smelled strange. Like a human. A human girl. I slowly walked towards the source of the noise, a little frightened, but not enough to stop me from finding the intruder. "Who the hell's there?" I demanded, kicking the bush. Slowly, a figure crept from behind the bush.   
  
She was a young human girl, maybe a year or two younger than me. She wore a miko's robes, and had a bow and arrow fastened to her back. She was about a head shorter than me, and her long black hair was fastened by a white cloth. She was very beautiful, and seemed to be afraid of me, as I could smell her sweat. "What are you doing here?" I asked. "I was just out on a walk, and I got lost..." she explained in a calm tone. "Do you live far from here?" I asked. "In Musashi's Domain," she explained. That was quite a ways from where we were now, espicially for a human. "I'm Inu Yasha, how about you?" The girl smiled, "Kikyo." I continued walking down the path, and Kikyo followed behind. "So, wench. I take it you haven't a place to stay?" I beckoned. Kikyo shook her head 'no'. "Well, then," I mused, "I take it you'd like to stay with me for the night?" Kikyo nodded, almost embarassed. "You know I'm a hanyou, right?" I asked, curious about her answer. "Yeah, I do. But you seem different than other hanyou, like you're sad, and wouldin't hurt anyone," she replied. I was surprised by the girl's responce. "You're good, wench," I said, walking faster, as my home became visable. "I take it you don't want to talk about it," she commented. "I'm not one to share my life's story with a stranger," I replied. "Well, then," she said, " I guess I'll just have to get to know you better."  
  
Finally, I approached my home. I walked over to where my mothers ashes were still on the dirt, and sat down. Kikyo soon followed, and sat next to me. "What's this?" she asked, pointing to the ashes scattered all around.  
"This," I started, " is where I'm going to build a grave tomorrow." Kikyo looked up at me, "for whom?" I looked down at the ground, not wanting to answer the girl's question. "What's it to you?" I snapped back, not wanting to sound so harsh. Kikyo looked at me with pity in her eyes, "It's ok. You don't have to tell me." Oh, how I hated being pitied. All my life people had shunned and pitied me, because of my mother or because I was half human. Today even my half brother who had never acted kindly towards me, gave me money and told me, flat out, that he pitied me. 'Someday,' I thought to myself, 'no one will show pity or sorrow towards me, only envy and respect.' I had never known why I always cared so much about what people thought of me, I just did. I was so self concious most of the time that I have never had time to truly enjoy my life.  
  
"Inu Yasha," Kikyo called, knocking me out of my daydream, "I'm tired, do you have a place where I can sleep?" I nodded, "sorry for staring off into space like that." I took the girl into my home, and retrieved some blankets out of a cabinent. I pulled out a small futon that I used to sleep on and laid it on the floor, placing the blankets over it. "Here," I said, pointing at the mattress and the blankets, "use whatever you like." Kikyo bowed, then asked, "where are you going to be sleeping?" I pointed to a door leading into my mother's old room. "In there," I said, "just ask if you need anything." Kikyo gave a warm "thank you" and I walked into the room I was staying in. The room still smelled of my mother, which comforted me. Her futon was still the same as it was after she died, and you could still see the shape of her head indented on the pillow she used. "I promise," I said to myself, "I will avenge your death, I promise." With that I crawled into the futon and fell asleep, feeling as if my mother was embracing me.  
  
(A.N.) Wow, end of chapter 3! I don't really have any idea on how long this story will be, or how it will end, so the future of this story will be a surprise to everyone! I tried to improve my grammar in this story, and I really didn't think it was very bad in the other two parts. Oh, well. Please review and thank you for giving your time to read this story, I really appreciate it! 


	4. Fireflies

(Disclaimer:) I don't own Inu Yasha! Waaah!  
  
(A.N) When I started writing this story (yesterday lol) I never thought I'd like it so much! But, there have been a lot of questions, so before we get on with the story, let's answer them. First of all, 12,000 yen is just under 100 US dollars. Also, I made Inu Yasha meet Kikyo earlier, because I thought he needed someone to turn to. Now I'm not saying that he won't go after the Shikon no Tama later on in the story... ::wink:: Inu Yasha's father did love his mother, but I made it so his father gave up on her mother when she was sick. I'm not spoiling the secrets of the poison yet, so don't ask! Finally, the reason I space out Inu and Yasha is because it's easier for me to type. don't ask me why, it just is! (im weird) Anyways, thank you for reading and enjoy the fourth installment of this story!.  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter 4 : Fireflies  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
I awoke in the morning to the rising sun, and a still darkened sky. I quietly stood up, and stretched. I quietly walked out of the bedroom into the living area of my house, where the human wench was sleeping. She was curled up into a little ball, with blankets piled on top of her. 'Isn't she hot with all those covers?' I thought to myself. I shrugged, and walked past her. I exited my house, shutting the door as not to disturb the girl. 'She's so annoying that it's better to leave her asleep,' I assured myself. When outside, I grabbed a shovel that my mother had used for gardening and walked over to the fire pit. I sat down and looked at the ashes. 'I wonder where she is right now...?' I questioned myself. 'Nowhere,' I thought, 'all the things that humans say about the afterlife are lies. When you die, you're just dead, right? Your body is lost, you can't think, feel, anything... When you die, you're trapped in an eternal dream. Of you have a happy dream, you're in Heaven, and if you have a nightmare, you're in Hell.' Still, I wanted to believe that Mother was in a good place, where I could meet her again someday. Of course, if I sought out revenge like I told myself I would, I would surely go to Hell. But that's alright, because demons are supposed to go to Hell, that's where their souls are born from. I wonder if my mother ever questioned herself about marrying a demon? Surely she knew that bad would eventually come from it, as it did. 'Why did you leave her side that day, Inu Yasha?' I asked myself. 'Because... there wasn't anyone else in the house to take care of chores and cleaning. It's my damn father's fault for leavig me alone with her for so long.' I was happiest with blaming my mothers death on my father, for he said it himself that he had poisoned her. Was he really that heartless that he could poison his own mate? I guess that's what   
happens when you're a full blood demon...  
  
I stood up, using the shovel to pry myself off the ground. I found a nice spot in the yard, under a big tree, and started digging a hole in the ground. I could feel my eyes getting hot and wet as I did this, but I didn't let that stop me. I couldin't believe that I was really burying my mother's remains. It was just under a week when I last saw her face, and her image was still fresh in my mind. I could still smell her sweet scent in the air, and I could still hear her   
voice in my head. 'What did I do to deserve this?' I asked myself, 'am I really such a bad person that I have to bury my own mother? What kind of sick world is this...?' In my mind I started thinking of my father, and how much he was going to pay. As I thought of my father, I started digging harder and faster. 'I hate him,' I told myself. 'I hate him! I hate him for leaving me all alone. I hate him for leaving Mother. I hate him... I really hate him for killing my mother.' As I thought of my father, I could feel my demon half taking over my mind. I sat down on the ground, trying to calm myself, but it was no use. I dug my claws in the ground, pullng out a clump of dirt. I heard someone behind me, and I turned quickly to see who it was. That human wench.. Kikyo, was it? Was staring down at me. I shot an angry glare at her as my demon half got stronger and stronger. "What the hell do you want, bitch?!" I demanded. Kikyo shot a worried glance, and I smealt fear swelling up inside her. "Inu Yasha... what's wrong...?" I scowled, showing my fangs. "What's it to you, bitch?!" Kikyo stood there, looking worried. "You're different than you were last night, it's almost like your demon half has taken over," she said, approaching me. I wasn't sure what she thought she was doing, but I tried to calm myself before I hurt anyone. I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and a body sit down next to me. Kikyo looked up at me with worry in her eyes. "Who's the grave for?" she asked. I looked down and stared at the hole I was digging. "My mother," I said. "Oh, wow. I'm really sorry, Inu Yasha," she said. "Save it for someone else," I snapped, " I don't need pity from a human." Kikyo just stared at me with her menacing eyes. "What about your father?" she asked. "Bastard took off, and left me alone with my mother. He poisoned her while I was away, and killed her."  
  
Kikyo just stared at me in disbelief, and moved closer to me. "I'm sorry," she said, wrapping her arms around me. I wanted to pull away, or snap back, but I couldin't. Giving in, I returned the hug, sorrow swelling up inside me. 'Why are you allowing a human to show affection towards you?' I questioned myself. 'Because,' I reasoned, 'I don't have anyone else in the world.' Once Kikyo released her grip, I got back up and started digging some more. I could feel Kikyo's eyes watching me as I dug. After the hole was a few feet deep, I went and retrieved a small wooden box from inside my house. I walked over to the fire pit, and scooped her ashes into the box, closing the lid tightly. Kikyo continued watching me in all my sorrow, and I let her. I wasn't in the mood to argue. I placed the box at the bottom of the hole, and began filling the hole with the dirt I had dug away. After I had finished filling it up, I smoothed down the dirt, making sure it was firm. I found a piece of wood that I could use as a grave marker. I set the wood on the ground and went inside to get ink and a brush. I dipped the brush in ink and wrote my mother's name on the plank; Hotaru. When I was finished with the wood, I pounded it into the ground. Kikyo walked over to me. "Hotaru, as in firefly. How pretty," she said, as she smiled. "I'll be here for you, Inu Yasha," she assured, holding my hand. "I promise."  
  
That night Kikyo and I sat by the fire as the last glimmer of sun disappeared. The moon shone through the clouds, but it didn't give off much light. "Tomorrow," I said, "I'll take you back to your villiage." Kikyo nodded, but looked a little upset. "Will I ever see you again?" she asked. "Do you want to?" I asked. "Of course. We're friends, Inu Yasha," she said. Friends? I'd never had anyone call me a friend before. I'd never had a friend before. I smiled, "right, we're friends. I'll come visit you sometimes. I promise. Okay, Kikyo?" Kikyo nodded, and smiled. The fire started to go out, but not my much. I noticed Kikyo's eyes start to light up. "What is it?" I asked. "Look," she pointed, "Hotaru. (Fireflies.)"  
  
(A.N.) Well, that's it for chapter four. Oh, and I have a question. Do you think me chapters are too long, or too short? Could you please respond to this question, because I am not sure what people think! Well, thank you for giving your time to read this story, and I will post future chapters shortly. 


	5. Friends

(Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha, Takahashi Rumiko does!  
  
(A.N:) Hello again. I just finished writing chapter four this morning, and I am already inspired to move on to chapter five! No one has reviewed chapter four, though... (cry) you don't know how much it means to me when people review, it makes me extremely happy, so I'd love it if you at least review for this chapter. Thank you.  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Five : Friends  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
That night, after Kikyo and I went back into my house, we sat on my floor and talked about our lives a little bit. "So, Inu Yasha, how old are you?" Kikyo asked. "I'm twelve," I replied, "how about you." Kikyo smiled, "I'm eleven." I thought about the girl, and how strange it was that she traveled so far from Musashi's Domain alone.  
"Kikyo, why did you travel all the way to my villiage alone? There must be a reason." Kikyo looked down at the floor,   
"I'm on a mission to protect the Shikon no Tama. Do you know what that is?" I was stunned. This little wench  
guarded the Shikon no Tama? Was her family crazy, giving such a big responsability to this girl? I studied her closely. She didn't seem different from any other human I had ever met, but there was something intreging about her. Like the way she could tell something was wrong with me by just looking, and not even knowing me well. Nevertheless, I needed to get my hands on the Shikon no Tama, that way I could become full demon and avenge my mother's death. If I were full demon, then other demons wouldin't look down upon me, and they'd respect me. Oh, how much I just wanted to be respected. Of course, all demons wanted to get their hands on the Shikon no Tama, to become stronger. But I needed that jewel if I was to keep the promise I had made to myself. From that moment on, my mind was set on getting that stone, no matter what the cost. Even if I was to lose my only friend.   
  
Suddenly, I felt something poke the side of my face. I turned to face Kikyo, "are you all right, Inu Yasha? You seem out of it." I nodded, and assured her that I was just tired. "Are you going to go to bed?" she asked. "Not yet," I replied. Kikyo looked kind of happy at me responce, and smiled. "Hey, Kikyo, why were you chosen to guard the Shikon no Tama?" Kikyo thought hard, "well, the shikon no tama has been passed down my family for a long time now. My family line has included many pristesses, and healers, so that's how I ended up guarding it. Anyways, I ended up here because a demon had managed to take it from me, and I followed it and killed it." 'She killed a demon?' I thought to myself, 'this little human girl killed a demon? Maybe I shoudin't steal the jewel from her. Maybe I could convince her to give it to me.' My other half smirked, 'yeah, right. Like a wench you just met last night would give you something that her family line had been protecting from demons like you for generations? I think not, my friend.' So, maybe I would have to steal it from her, even though I didn't want to run our friendship... or get killed. I stood up and stretched, yawning. "Sorry, Kikyo, but I'm really tired, so I'm gonna go to bed," I explained to the human. Kikyo sighed, "okay, I understand. See you in the morning, Inu Yasha." I nodded and walked into my mother's old room. I felt safe in her room, like no one could hurt me. I studied the room. A quilt my mother had made hung on the wall. It had cherry blossom patterns on it, and all sorts of beautiful flowers embroidered into it. An old folding screen was in the corner, and decorative fans were hung on the walls. Colorful fabrics were draped above the windows, which looked out to where my mothers grave was. Yawning loudly, I decided to get into bed. I was quickly asleep.  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
I was on the floor of my house, folding clothes next to my mother. Mother sat leaning on a pillow that was up against the wall, humming a melancholy melody. I looked up from my folding for a moment and spoke to my mother. "How are you feeling today?" Mother just smiled, and replied, "I'm feeling better today. The only reason I'm here alive right now is because of you, Inu Yasha." I knew what she spoke of was the truth, for my father had left Mother and I weeks ago. "I have to take care of you. You always take care of me when I'm sick," I said. Mother knew that I was not the kind of person to abandon someone I loved. "That's true, my son. But you were never as sick as I," she added, sadly. I hated to see my mother upset, "it's not your fault, so don't feel guilty. I promise I'll never leave your side, Mother." She smiled, and gestured for me to come near her. I did as I was told, and sat next to my mother. She gently put her hand on my head, scratching my ears. I gently placed my head on her lap, laying down. "You'll get better, won't you, Mother?" I asked, and it was apparent to my mother that I was worried. I felt something wet fall on my head. Mother was crying. "I'll stay with you as long as I can, Inu Yasha. I promise, okay? I love you more than anything in the world, and I'd never want to hurt you..." Suddenly, I felt tears form in my eyes as well, and I started to cry. Mother began to rock me back and forth, like she did when I was a pup. "It will be okay in the end," she assured, choking up, as she began to sob. "Mother!" I yelled, and I wrapped my arms around her as tight as I could, never wanting to let go. She pressed her head close to mine, still crying. "I'm sorry, Inu Yasha. I'm really so so sorry. First your father leaves us, and now I am to die. Someday, Inu Yasha, you will find happiness. You deserve it, my son."  
  
~*End of Dream*~  
  
I awoke in the morning with tears all over my pillow and on my face. Still shaken up from the night's dream, I curled up into a ball and continued to cry. Before Mother got sick, I would never cry, not even when I got hurt. After Mother got sick, though, I didn't care if I hid my tears or not. She and I would cry together a lot, and each time we cried, the longer we would cry for. Once Mother got to the point when she couldin't stand anymore, I absolutely lost it. I wouldin't eat or sleep, I was just eternally depressed, as I still am. I know that Mother wouldn't want me to be sad, as she told me herself, but it was nearly impossible for me not to feel sorrow. My father would always scold me if I ever showed tears in front of him, saying that a real man would never cry. But I am not yet a man, I am still a boy. I knew that, and was not afraid to admit to it. After laying in bed for a few more minutes, I walked out of the room to find Kikyo all packed up and ready to return to her villiage. "Good morning!" she announced cheerfully. "Morning..." I replied, not in nearly half the good mood Kikyo was in. Kikyo could tell that I was upset, "what's the matter? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed or something?" I smirked, "yeah... Something like that." Kikyo nodded, understanding. "Well, sleepy head, are you ready to travel back to my villiage?" I looked confused, "how should I get ready?" Kikyo just smiled, "I was hoping that you'd like to stay with my family and I for a few days, so get out of this depressing house." I was happy, I needed to get away from here for a few days, "are you sure that it will be okay with your parents?" Kikyo nodded 'yes'. "Okay, then. I'll go get some things together," I said, enthusiasticly. 'All right!' my demon half thought. 'Now you can definately get your hands on the Shikon no Tama.'  
  
(A.N.) So, how did you like this chapter? I almost started to cry while I wrote the dream sequence, wasn't it sad? Well, I'll update this story ASAP (like I always do. Five chapters in two days.) Also, if you have any suggestions for the future of this story, please post them in your review. I'm always welcome to your opions on where to take the story, so don't be shy. Please review and thank you for giving the time to read this. 


	6. Clouds

Disclaimer: I do not own Inu Yasha. Rumiko Takahashi does. But, don't forget about my cool merchandise! I have some pretty neat stuff, if you ask me. Oh, well. I'll get into that later.  
  
(A.N) Wow, chapter six already. How many words is this story already? Hmm... lemme check ::disappers:: 7,502 words! In only five chapters! C'mon, you're impressed with me, aren't you? I know I am! lol. Anyways, as we left off, Kikyo has invited Inu Yasha to stay with her and her family temporarily. Note that this fic is not going to turn into an Inu Yasha/Kikyo fic, so don't worry!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Six : Clouds  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
Before Kikyo and I started off on out journey to Musashi's Domain, I stopped to pay respects to my mother. 'Mother,' I thought, 'I am going with this girl to find the Shikon no Tama, so I can become full demon and avenge your death. Also, perhaps I can find happiness with this human girl.' I stood up from my knealt position and turned to face Kikyo, who was watching my every move. "Wench, what is it?" I demanded. Kikyo smiled, apparently hiding something, "oh, nothing." Figuring that it wasn't worth my time to argue with the girl, I shrugged it off, and started walking away from my home. Kikyo obidiently followed, without me needing to say a thing. Kikyo quickly caught up to me, and began walking by my side. "So," she started, "which direction are we going in?" I pointed towards the sun, "east." I said. "Do you know this area well?" Kikyo asked. "Better than you do, I can at least find my own home." Suprisingly, Kikyo laughed. "I guess you're right. It's pretty pathedic for me not to be able to find the villiage I've lived in for all my life." I nodded in agreement, and Kikyo got defensive, "you're not supposed to agree with me on things like that!" I looked at her with a confused gase, "but, you said it yourself. Stupid wench." Kikyo protested, "I am NOT stupid, and definately NOT a wench!" I breathed deeply, "sure, whatever you say, wench."   
  
'Gods,' I thought to myself, 'this is going to be a much longer trip than I first expected. Espicially with this stupid human girl blabbing on about nonsence. No wonder her parents allowed her to wander off to hell knows where.' Kikyo and I walked in silence for a while, her finally getting the picture that I was not in the mood to talk. The sun was now high in the sky, beating down on my head. We were no longer in the forest, but rather walking through empty farmlands. Every so often, I'd spot an animal, and Kikyo would point it out to me, not knowing that I had seen it long before her. Other than the scarce animals, there was no one in sight, just Kikyo and me. I could tell that Kikyo was getting tired, for she started to walk slower than she already had been. 'Humans are so slow,' I complained to myself, 'it'd be faster if I just carried the wench.' Kikyo stopped walking, and decided to unexpectably sit on the grass. I stopped walking, and turned to face the girl. "What's the matter, wench?" I asked. Kikyo looked me in the eyes, "nothing, I'm just really tired. Humans can't walk as much without stopping as a demon can." I was quite aware of the fact, considering that my mother was in fact a human. "Do you really think I'm that clueless about you humans, wench?" I asked. "Oh, yeah. Your mother was..." Kikto stopped speaking, noticing that it was probable not the best thing in the world to mention my mother around me. "I'm sorry," Kikyo apologized, looking at the ground. "Whatever," I said.   
  
I decided to sit down next to the girl, who was now laying on her back. "Tired?" I asked, noticing her eyelids were fluttering shut. "A little," she yawned, rolling over onto her side. "We can rest here for a while, if you want," I said, figuring the girl wanted to rest a little. "Thanks," she said, as her eyes shut closed. And so I decided to lay down next to the girl, and rest a little bit myself. I stared up at the clouds in the sky, trying to compare them with shapes. My mother and I used to lay on our backs in meadows, and identify what the clouds looked liked.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
As I opened my eyes, I noticed someone was in my room. I looked over and saw my mother sitting in the corner of the room. "Good morning, Inu Yasha. You've slept in late today," she said in a soft voice. I nodded, "I was tired..." My mother just smiled, "that's okay. You're growing. When you grow, you can get really tired and sleep for a long time." I sat up, soaking in what my mother had just told me. "Does that mean I'm bigger now?" I started. My mother nodded her head, 'yes'. Every day you grow little by little, until one day you will grow and be as old as I." I got up out of my bed and walked over towards my mother, cuddling up next to her. She gently rubbed my ears, like she always did. I smiled, allowing her affection. "Nee, Inu Yasha. Would you like to go to a pretty meadow with me today? I just discovered it yesterday on my way back from the market," she explained. I nodded with excitement, for I loved going places with my mother. She smiled sweetly, "alright then, you should go get ready. I'll be waiting in the other room." Mother left the room, and closed the door.  
  
After I got ready, I met my mother in the other room. She was working on a quilt, of which she had started weeks before. The fabric was violet, and it had the outline of cherry blossoms in white cloth. My mother was very good at quilting, and she told me she had starting quilting when she was young. "I'm ready to go!" I announced, as I ran up to my mother and grabbed her arm. She looked up at me with her beautiful violet eyes, "okay. Let's go." Holding her hand, I dragged my mother to the door, and opened it for her. She laughed, amused at how exited I was. Mother led me away from the house, down a dirt path that I seldom traveled. "Where is the meadow?" I asked, impatiently. My mother pointed down the path, "just over there." We continued walking until we reached a beautiful meadow full of wild flowers, with a huge tree in the middle. "Isn't it pretty?" my mother asked. I nodded, and dragged my mother through the field, throwing myself on the ground. A minute later, Mother lay down next to me, smiling. "Inu Yasha, did you know that clouds can tell stories?" she asked. "Clouds can't talk!" I argued. She just laughed, " I mean that the clouds sometimes look like other things, and you can tell things by looking at them." I pointed up at the clouds, "like the stars at night? You said that those tell stories, too." She nodded, and stared up at the cloudy sky.  
  
"Look!" she exclaimed, "that one looks like a ship!" I smiled, liking our new game, "and that one looks like a deer!" Mother laughed, "and that one looks like a fish!" I started laughing, too. "That one looks like a ship!" I said. Then Mother pointed at me, "and that one looks like my Inu Yasha!" I sighed, "but I AM your Inu Yasha!" Mother looked confused, "you are? I thought you were a cloud." I shook my head 'no'. "Nope, that's me! You're not looking at the sky. You're looking at me!" She laughed, and scratched my ears, "you are my Inu Yasha, aren't you?" I nodded, placing my head on one of her outstretched arms. "Yes, I am your Inu Yasha."  
  
~*End of Flashback*~  
  
I sat up, and stretched. Kikyo was sleeping next to me, looking peaceful. 'I wish she were this quiet all the time,' I thought to myself. I stood up, and began to walk around the meadow. This meadow was similar to the one Mother and I used to go to, except it didn't have as many flowers, and did not have a tree in the middle. I sighed, cracking my knuckles. I didn't have any idea as to how the humans in Musashi's Domain would act towards me, but I didn't really care all that much. 'I just need to get away for a while,' I thought to myself, 'from the sorrow of being all alone in my home.' I knew that Mother wouldin't want me being all alone in sorrow, so she would understand... I heard Kikyo get up, and I turned to see her. "Sorry I slept for so long," she said. "It's alright," I said. "Well, then," she started, "let's continue our journey!"  
  
(A.N) Well that's it for chapter six! In case you were wondering, Inu Yasha was about 5 years old in the flashback. I really don't know what inspired me to write about the 'cloud game' but I just did! So did you like that flashback scene? You will tell me, won't you? When you review? I will love you eternally throughout all time! ::laugh:: I hate to see me beg, so just review! Thank you for giving your time to read this story! 


	7. Mourn

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha, Takahashi Rumiko does. (You always have to hurt my feelings by making me say that, don't you?! Note that I will soon own Kohaku (you'll just have to wait to find out who she is)!  
  
(A.N) Alrighty! I just posted chapter six this morning, and this story is almost 10,000 words long! (It will be after this chapter). This will be the longest fanfic I have ever written! So celebrate with me by reviewing my story! Also, thank you to all of you who have reviewed, I totally love you for it! Anyways, onto the story, my dear friends!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Seven : Mourn  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
Kikyo and I began walking again, Kikyo being more energetic than she was when we began travelling this morning. She skipped along the path, humming a strange melody. "What the hell's the matter with you, girl?" I asked. "Nothing!" she exclaimed, continuing to prance about. "If you keep that skipping up, you'll be tired again in no time." Kikyo continued skipping, ignoring me, which made me somewhat angry. But I let it go, figuring it would be her own fault if she got tired, and I wasn't going to take any more stops along the way. I started walking a little faster, getting quite annoyed by the girl's out-of-tune humming. Suddenly, Kikyo stopped acting so annoying, and grabbed my hand. I turned, and angrily looked into the girls eyes. "What is it, wench? You tired already?" Kikyo shook her head 'no' and asked me, "what's the matter, Inu Yasha?" I pulled my hand from hers. "Nothing," I said. "You're lying. I can tell when you're upset, or angry. Your aura changes," she explained. Great, now I was stuch with a human that could read my mind. Kikyo, noticing that I had managed to walk ahead of her, grabbed my shoulder. "Now you're avoiding me. We're friends, Inu Yasha. You can tell me what's wrong." I started walking even faster, not wanting to tell the wench anymore about myself than possible. "Tell me," she urged. I had had enough of her mindless, useless questions. Of her stupidy, and her insensitivity towards others. I shot her a furious glare, and she backed away.  
  
We continued walking down the path, but this time Kikyo was silent. I had scared her a little. 'Oh, well,' I thought, 'serves her right for annoying the hell out of you, and not leaving you alone.' The sun was beginning to set, and the air began to get cool. I thought the cool air felt nice, after sweating in the hot sun all day. I tossed my long hair off my back, so my neck could get some air. "How much longer until we get there?" Kikyo asked, almost whispering. Yes, I had definately scared her earlier. I laughed in my mind. 'How pitiful,' I thought. "Just a few more miles. It will take an hour, at the most." Kikyo sighed, sounding relieved. "Are you scared?" I asked. Kikyo looked confused, "at what?" I just laughed, "me, wench. Who else would I be talking about?" Kikyo looked at the ground. "No, of course not..." she said. I knew she was lying, for I could smell fear all over the girl. "Whatever you say," I said, smirking. Kikyo looked down at the ground, before running up to me and wrapping her arms around me, starting to cry. I opened my eyes wide with shock, not sure what Kikyo was doing, or what was wrong. "I'm sorry, Inu Yasha!" she cried. "For what?" I asked. "Just for bothering you so much, and making you think about your mother all the time. I'm sorry." I put my hand on the back of her head, running my claws through her midnight black hair. "It's okay," I assured, " I think of her with my own will, you don't have anything to do with it." Kikyo rubbed her wet eyes on my kimono, making my kimono smell of salt. "Are you sure?" Kikyo asked, still sounding upset. I nodded, assuringly. "Well, then!" she perked up right away, "let's hurry, we're almost at my villiage!"  
  
After walking for only an hour, we finally reached Kikyo's villiage. It was a small, quaint town, with little cottages lining the area. There was a huge pile of logs near where humans were working to build another building. The smells of many foods were lingering in the air, making me hungry. The scent of humans was everywhere, driving me crazy. How Sessho Maru would shun me for visiting this villiage of humans. 'Why do you care what that bastard thinks?' I thought to myself, 'you're here to enjoy yourself, so don't even think about him, or your father.' Kikyo put her hand on my shoulder, noticing that I was getting upset. "Come," she said, "I'll show you where I live." She led me through the clustered villiage to a small, peaceful looking shrine. She led me up some stone stairs, to a large wooden door. She slowly opened it, stepping inside. "I'm home!" she shouted. "Kikyo Chan! Is that you?" A womans voice asked, coming from the other room. "Of course it is, Mother!" she shouted, leading me into the other room. Her mother ran up and caressed her daughter, tears forming in her eyes. "Where have you been?" she asked. Kikyo looked embarassed, "well, I got lost. Thankfully, I met Inu Yasha here, and he brought me home." Her mother gazed down at me, smiling. Kikyo's mother, was tall and thin. She looked rather young, like she was in her late twenties, or early thirties. She had dark black hair with little shine that went down a little past her shoulders, and she had beautiful amber eyes. Before I knew it, the woman wrapped her arms around me. "Thank you for returning my daughter home!" she exclaimed. "Is there anyway that I can repay you?" Kikyo pulled her mother off of me, her face bright red. "Well, actually," she started, "I thought that maybe he could stay with us for a while..." Kikyo's mother smiled, "Of course, if it's okay with your Mother, that is." I just looked down at the ground, not saying anything. "I'm... I'm sure it's fine with her..." I said, sorrow building up within me. Kikyo looked at me with painfilled eyes. "All right then," Kikyo's mother started, "my name's Kohaku, and yours is Inu Yasha, correct?" I nodded. Before she said anything else, Kikyo grabbed her mother's arm and dragged her into the other room, shutting the door.  
  
I pressed my ear up to the thick wood door, hearing everything perfectly. "Mother, please don't ask Inu Yasha anything about his family... Espicially about his mother," Kikyo started. "Why?" Kohaku asked. Kikyo sighed, and whispered, "because his mother died less than a week ago, killed by her mate. Inu Yasha's father won't take him in, either. That's why I invited him to come stay with us for a while... To get away from his depressing memories." Kohaku sounded shocked. "Poor thing," she said, "It's good that you brought him here to mourn." I walked away from the door, not wanting to hear anything else being said in the room. Was I supposed to take time to mourn? 'No, you're not, Inu Yasha,' I thought to myself, 'only weak humans take the time to mourn, and you're not a human...' I sat down on the floor, leaning up against the wall, 'but I am human. My mother was human, so I have human blood. Is that really the only reason Kikyo brought me here? To mourn?' I thought hard, 'yes... to mourn.'  
  
(A.N) So, how'd you like this chapter? In case you were wondering, 'Kohaku' means amber, the color of Kohaku's eyes. I dont know why I wanted to name her Kohaku, I just did. Kaede will be coming in in the next chapter, in case you wanted to know. I will be changing the summary to this story around a bit, to attempt to attract some more readers. Any suggestions? Post them in your review. PLEASE review, it means the world to me! And thank you once more to all of you who have reviewed! 


	8. Different

(Disclaimer) I don't own Inu Yasha. Takahashi Rumiko does. Rub it in, why don't you?  
  
(:A.N:) Yippee! Over 10,000 words! (and... only ten reviews... oh well...) Anyways! ::perks right up:: In celebration, I will make this chapter a great one, okay? Or at least I will try. Thanks to Imagi Chan for the support, and to Kagome22 for so faithfully reading. Hell, thanks to all of you. ::hugs all reviewers:: Anyways--- I don't know what is going to happen in the end of the story, nor how I will continue it-- but fear not, for I shall prevail! ::evil laugh:: Now, to the chapter...  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Eight : Different  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
Kohaku and Kikyo came out of the other room that they were talking in, and Kohaku looked at me with a sympathedic expression on her look. "Inu Yasha, dear. Feel free to stay with us for as long as you like," she said in a comforting tone. I had no clue how to respond to this woman's kindness, for I knew it came mostly from her sympathy. I just sat up straighter against the wall, and said, "thank you." Kohaku just smiled, "I'm going to go finish cleaning the house. Kikyo, why don't you show Inu Yasha to the hot spring, and let him take a bath?" Kikyo agreed, and I followed, not in any way thrilled about bathing in a hot spring. Hot springs seemed to be more of a woman's past time, for my mother simply adored hot springs, and would often take me along with her when she went to them. After we left Kikyo's house, she looked at me. "I'm sorry that my mother spoke of such a matter," she said, apparently   
adressing my mother. I just shrugged, pretending not to give a damn. "I know you're still very upset because of your loss, so Mother is allowing you to stay as long as you like." I smiled, "she's kind... Espicially to a hanyou." Kikyo seemed to care less at the fact that I was part demon. In fact, unlike many other humans I knew, she never once brought up the subject, nor showed any urge to grab at my ears, like most other women did. Kohaku didn't seem to mind, either, and hardly paid any attention to the fact that her daughter came home with a hanyou. Most humans were terrified by demons, and would go crazy if one was in their house. I always knew Kikyo was strange, and I supposed her whole family was. "So, Kikyo," I started, "do you live with anyone else?" Kikyo stared up at the starry sky, "well, I have a little sister named Kaede, and she just turned five. As for my father, well, we're not exactly sure of his whereabouts. But, it doesn't affect Mother and I one little bit, and Kaede doesn't even seem to notice he's gone."   
  
When we reached the hot spring, Kikyo and I undressed, making sure not to peek at each other, and both got into the hotspring at different ends. Kikyo sat behind a rock that was about five feet away from me, indulging in the boiling water. It took me a while to get used to the hot water, because I was not used to hotsprings with such extreme temperatures. The springs in my villiage were just right in temperature, not too hot, yet not too cold. On the other hand, this water made me feel like I was being boiled alive. Kikyo continued to indulge, smiling up at the starry night sky. "Aren't you hot?" I asked, amazed that a human could handle the water better than I. She just shook her head, and sunk deeper into the water, pulling her head under the water. I'd always prefered to keep my ears out of water when possible, because my ears were very sensitive to change in water pressure, and espically water that was overly hot. I kept my head safely above water, leaning back against the sides of the spring. Kikyo popped her head out from under the water, gasping for breath. "Isn't the water wonderful?" she asked, excited at every little thing as usual. I agreed, not wanting to start a debate with the girl. She stuck her nose under the water, and began to blow water bubbles. I just stared at the foolish girl as she acted like a child. 'Oh, well,' I thought, 'at least she can enjoy her childhood.' In a strange way, I envied Kikyo. She was accepted for who she was, and she had an important purpose to protect the Shikon no Tama. She had a loving mother, and even had a younger sister. I was stuck with a dead mother, a neglectful father, and a rude as hell half brother. I could not even find the slightest resembelance between our two families.  
  
Later that night, Kikyo and I walked back to her home. She was exhausted, and yawned every other minute. I   
was pretty tired myself, actually. I'd been getting really tired lately, from being so stressed out. When we finally got back to the house, Kohaku warmly greeted us, "welcome back. Inu Yasha, I set you up a bed in the other room, because I figured you were pretty tired." I just looked down at the ground, and scratched one of my ears, "yeah... Thank you..." I don't know why I felt to uncomfortable around Kohaku, she was extremely kind from the looks of it. It's not like she gave me a hard time about anything, and she didn't even mind about me being a Hanyou. I yawned, figuring that I would worry about it later. I looked up at the two women staring at me. "I'll be going to bed now.... Thanks for your hospitality." Kohaku and Kikyo both said 'good night' and I walked into the room where I saw that my bed was. My things were piled up in the corner, still tied up in a sack like I had left it. Before I got into bed, I took off my shirt, for it was too hot outside to sleep fully dressed, and then I laid down in the futon. I closed my eyes, and was fast asleep.  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
My mother was lying down in a room, coughing and wheezing. I wanted to go down and help her, but it was like I wasn't even there. Mother started to cry, knowing that she wasn't going to make it much longer. She rolled over on her side, and grabbed a piece of rice paper that was next to her bed, and put it on her lap. Then she got some ink and a brush that was on her other side, opened the ink, and started to write. 'My Dearest Inu Yasha....' was how it started. I knew at that moment that I was looking down on my mother's last minutes of life. Emotions overpowered me, and I shut my eyes, not wanting to see what was happening. Suddenly, I heard someone enter the house, just as my mother was folding up the finished letter, and she held it tightly in her hand. My mother laid back down in her bed, and looked up at the intruder. My Father. He came in, looking sorrowful, and sat down next to my mother. "Minoku..." my mother coughed, "why are you here? Where... have you been...?" My father smiled, "I'm sorry, Hotaru, I really am. Look, I've even brought you some herbal medicine that will make you feel better." I knew the truth about what was in that vile. Poison. I never knew how sick my father really was, and I wanted to strangle him for it. My mother grabbed the vile, and smiled. "Nee, Minoku. Will you please... Take care of our son? I love him so much, and I don't want to see him all alone..." My father nodded, and smiled, "of course I will. You know that." I was furious, and I wanted to do something... But I couldin't. Mother drank the liquid that was in the vile, and her eyes shot wide open, realizing what the liquid was. She coughed and coughed, giving my father extremely cold eyes. "I'm sorry... Inu Yasha..." she said, and she collapsed, her eyes rolling back. She was dead. My father had killed her, no doubt about it. He stood up, smiling. "Well, then," he started, "let's go tell my darling son about this terrible news." And that was how my mother died.  
  
~*End of Dream*~  
  
(A.N) Well, that's it for chapter eight! Do you think the ending was a cliffhanger? I hope not! I've been waking up an hour and a half early every morning to work on this story (girls my age need their beauty sleeeeeeppppp! ::cries::) So, for the fact that I'm giving up my beautiful skin complection (I'm porcelan white, so it's not THAT beautiful...) please review! Pleaseeee? I'll love you eternally throughtout all time! 


	9. Strength

(:Disclaimer:) I don't own Inu Yasha, and you don't either! So we're all losers!  
  
(A.N) Konnichiwa minnasan! I finally got some reviews (17 so far) which is cool. Except... If you're going to flame me (only one, mind you) then I'll cry, 'cause I'm sensitive. As I said in earlier chapters, I am well aware that I am changing the plot of the story a little bit. But I'm not Takahashi Rumiko, so I can do things like that! Well, here's chapter nine!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Nine : Strength  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
I awoke in the morning, terrified by the dream that I had seen during the night. It was like I was seeing what my father did while I was washing clothes in the well. As a matter of fact, I knew that's what I was seeing. But why, and how? I didn't have that sort of power to see visions of the truth in my dreams... The more I thought of my dream, the more I blamed myself for my mother's death. 'Damn you, Inu Yasha! If you just wouldin't have left the house, you'd of smelled the poison, and prevented her death from ever happening!' I extended my claws and clenched my fists as hard as I could, for I deserved to feel pain for my childish decision of leaving her alone. The last words she said was my name... I was overwhelmed by her words ringing in my ears over and over, "I'm sorry... Inu Yasha." In the end, I really was the only person whom she could turn to, her own son. Oh, how I wished she were happier when she was alive, how I wished she had friends to turn to, instead of just me. I sighed, 'it's too late to worry about that anymore. She's gone, now and forever...' I tried my hardest to think positively, but it just wasn't coming. I missed her so much, and I thought about her every minute of every day. Visions of her kept haunting me in my dreams. As hard as I tried, I just couldin't let go. 'You don't want to forget, Inu Yasha. You just want to puninsh yourself by thinking about her all the time. You could stop if you wanted, but you're too afraid that she would be unhappy,' part of me argued. 'What does it matter, Inu Yasha? No matter if you remember her, or forget her, she won't know. She's dead, and she's never coming back. You have to realize this. You'll never see her again.' I cowered under my covers, not wanthing to face the reality of it all. Not now... not ever.  
  
The sun wasn't visable yet, letting me know that I had woken up very early. I could hear Kohaku in the other room, and the clinking of pots and pans. I smiled, 'God, women love to cook.' I sighed, figuring that it was just natural for them to spend more than half their lives cooking for other people. I stood up, and yawned, trying to keep quiet to Kohaku wouldin't come looking for me. I hated to be looked down on... and I could tell that Kohaku pitied me greatly. So had Kikyo, until I told her to stop, because I wasn't worth it. I bent backwards, cracking my back in several places, and slowly stretched a couple of times. I spotted my pack of things in the corner, and went over to it and untied it. I grabbed my mother's kimono, and pressed my head on it, indulging in her scent of which I terribly missed. Putting down the kimono, I spotted my envelope of money, and shoved it in my kimono pocket. Deciding to ravage through my belongings later, I put my shirt on again (it was laying in a crinkled mess on the floor) and stepped out of the room, into the living room that smelled of many foods. Kohaku slid open the door, and smiled, "good morning, Inu Yasha dear. Did you sleep well?" I nodded, lying. She kept on smiling, and waved for me to come into the kitchen with her. "The girls are still sleeping, you're up very early." I agreed, and sat down at a table in the corner of the room. Kohaku turned, and faced me. "Are you sure you're all right?" For a split second, I gave a sad look, but quicky turned my frown into a smile, not wanting to reveal anything about myself that I didn't absolutely have to. Apparently, Kohaku noticed my worried look, and abandoned her cooking to come sit next to me.  
  
She stared at me with her breathtaking amber eyes, looking sad. "Kikyo told me about your loss," she started. I stared down at my hands, " I know..." She laughed, "so you could hear us, huh?" I closed my eyes, "it's hard not to hear your daughter, no offence..." Kohaku agreed, and then continued. "You have a lot of strength to leave your house so soon after something so terrible happened," she said. "Not for me," I said, "I couldin't stand to be in my home. It holds too many memories that bring back sorrow..." She looked at me with sad eyes, and put her hand on mine, "you can stay here as long as you like, Inu Yasha." I slightly smiled, "thank you... Kohaku San." She kept looking at me, "it's the least I can do. I'm glad that you are friends with my daughter, she doesn't have many. So it's good for everyone if you stay with us." I nodded, and said, "I suppose it is. I will have to leave sooner or later, to go take care of buisiness with someone." Of course I was talking about my father, and how I was going to get my revenge on him, but I wouldin't dare mention my plan for revenge to Kohaku, nor Kikyo. She nodded, understandingly. Suddenly, I heard Kikyo coming, and I quickly pulled my hand away from Kohaku's, not wanting Kikyo to get angry with her mother. Kikyo entered the room, holding a small girl's hand. She had long black hair, tied back in the same style that Kikyo's was. She wore a yukata, with flower patterns, and walked with bare feet. "Ohayo, Okaasan, Inu Yasha," Kikyo greeted us. I gave her a quick wave, followed by Kikyo walking the young girl over to me. "Inu Yasha, this is my younger sister, Kaede. Kaede, this is my friend, Inu Yasha. He'll be staying with us for a while." Kaede looked up at me with her dark brown eyes. "Is he the one who's mommy died?" she asked innocently. Kikyo placed her hand promptly over her sister's mouth, looking upset and embarassed. I smiled, "yes, Kaede, that's me. The hanyou that's all alone in the world."  
  
All three women in the room looked at me with sorrow in their eyes. Kaede suprisingly wrapped her arms around me. "I'm sorry, mister," she said. I looked down at the child, and sighed. "It's all right." The room was silent for a good two minutes, until Kohaku asked, "so, who's hungry?" Kikyo, Kaede and I all said "yes" in unison, making Kohaku laugh. "Well, then. Breakfast will be ready in about fourty five minutes. Inu Yasha, Kikyo, why don't you two go take a morning walk? You can show him around the villiage. Kaede Chan, you can stay with me and help cook. Kaede excitidly agreed, and Kikyo walked me out of the house. I was right, women did love to cook, no matter how old or young. Once outside, Kikyo turned to face me. "I'm sorry about my mother and sister, and I understand if you don't want to stay with us... It's just... Well, I want you to be happy, Inu Yasha." She was the second person to ever say that to me, after my mother. I wondered why Kikyo cared about me so much, and why she always acted so kindly towards me. I finally realized that maybe the emotions she felt towards me were not pity, but in fact, sympathy. "Of course I'll stay, your mother is really very kind, and Kaede was just being a child. She couldin't help what she said." In my mind I knew that Kaede could of easily kept her thoughts to herself, but I didn't want to make Kikyo any more upset than she already was. Kikyo smiled, and wrapped her arms around me. 'I guess I'll just have to get used to this kind of affection,' I thought, sighing. But hell, Kohaku told me I had strength, and she was right. Strength...  
  
(A.N) Hello, again. I am sorry if this chapter seems a bit short, but my boyfriend just really pissed me off. You girls reading can sympathise with me, right? Men just don't understand ANYTHING! I mean hell, he didn't even notice I was upset! ::clenches fist and pounds it into a wall:: Demo datte, I still love my Inu Chan, so I shall stay by his side forever throughout all time. And, darling, if you're reading this, IM JUST BEING A WENCH AS USUAL AND I'LL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH! BWAHAHAHA! ::clears throat:: Ano, can you please review minnasan? I'm in a major depression and I need something to lift my spirits! 


	10. Emotions

(:Diclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. You don't either. So we're both losers.  
  
(:A.N:) Hello, everyone. I'm really sorry about the chapter last night (CH9) I was just really pissed off. I created a web site dedeicated to this story, and it has a kawaii picture I drew of Inu Yasha and Kikyo on it, so here's the link.   
Note that if you ask questions in your review, or review at all, I will respond on this site within 24 hours. PLease check it out! Now, here's chapter ten!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Ten : Emotions  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
Kikyo and I began walking around her small villiage, and she insisted on pointing out everything that we saw. Along the way, I recieved some pretty angry looks from the humans in the villiage. Once and a while, I'd even see people pointing at me. I just ignored the stupid humans, because I was used to this type of reaction. When my mother and I would walk around our town, people would stare at us, wondering why a hanyou was with a human. Actually, since my town was mainly demons, they paid more attention to my mother. "That's Minoku's wench," they'd sneer, glaring at my mother. She never seemed to mind. In fact, she'd just smile, and even wave, at the angry demons. My mother just had that kind of power, to play with people's emotions. I often envied how easily she could ignore the people that didn't like her. I, on the other hand, often resorted to fighting, yelling, and growling. Being violent was just as natural for me as being kind was natural for my mother. She never seemed to be phased by anything. Kikyo tugged at my sleeve, "don't worry about all the people here. They just don't know you yet..." I nodded, not wanting Kikyo to think that I was really bothered by the stupid humans. We continued on my little tour, seemingly going nowhere, until we reached an old well. "This," Kikyo explained, pointing at it, "is the bone eaters well. When a demon is killed, we put the bones inside, and magically, they seem to disappear..." I let out a little laugh, wondering why the hell she would want to show me a barial place for demons, me being one and all. I nodded, and sarcastically said, "really? How interesting. Now I know where you'll put me when I die." Kikyo looked hurt, "that's not what I meant at all! Well, it kind of seemed like it, but I didn't mean it! Really I didn't!" I laughed, and placed my hand atop the humans head. "I'm just kidding," I said, "stupid wench, can't you even tell when I'm being sarcastic?" Kikyo shot me an angry glare, "I am NOT a stupid wench, Inu Yasha! How many times do I have to tell you?" I laughed, "well then, you cartainly act like one. What are you, then?" Kikyo thought hard, "I'm Kikyo, not some stupid wench." I laughed, having a lot of fun arguing with the girl. Kikyo smiled, "you're lauging. I'm glad." I looked surprised, and looked into her eyes. "What do you mean?" Kikyo sighed, "I mean, you haven't laughed since we've been friends."  
  
When we finally arrived back at Kikyo's home, the smell of food was in the air. When we walked inside the door, Kohaku greeted us warmly, "welcome back! Did you have a nice walk?" I wanted to say 'no,' but my kinder side just nodded. "That's good!" Kohaku gleamed, "breakfast is ready, so why don't you two come into the kitchen?" Kikyo and I followed the bubbly housewife into the kitchen, and sat down at a table. "Welcome back, you two!" Kaede said, sounding mature for her age. Kikyo smiled, "you've been practicing your mannors, Kaede, how nice." The young girl nodded, and sat down at the table. There was a bunch of food on the table, from rice, muffins, fruit, and a bunch of other foods. Kohaku finally sat down, and said, "ikedekimasu!" We all started eating, shoving food in our mouths. "So, Inu Yasha," Kohaku said, between bites, "how long are you planning to stay with us for?" I hadn't really thought about it much since arriving, so I thought hard. "Probably just for another few days," I said, watching all the women stare up at me. "Only a few more days?" Kikyo said, sadly. I hated to see women upset, so I added, "I'll come to visit you, though." I laughed on the inside 'yeah, to steal the Shikon no Tama.' Truthfully, I had no clue on where the Shikon no Tama was in this house. I figured that it wasn't just laying around, that it was probably in a case hidden somewhere. I sighed, thinking about how hard it would be to steal the Shikon no Tama from these people. First of all, because they were all very kind, and second, they knew how to kill demons. "Inu Yasha," Kikyo started, breaking up my thoughts, "are you alright?" I nodded, "of course. Anyways, Kohaku San. Kikyo tells me that you have the Shikon no Tama..." Kohaku smiled, "yes. It was brought here from a faraway villiage to be purified." I looked confused, "why would you want to purify the Shikon no Tama?" Kohaku laughed, "so that way demon's won't be so attracted to it." I understood, and hoped that it hadn't been purified yet.  
  
Later that day, my mind was really set on retrieving the Shikon no Tama. I could only achieve my goal if I posessed stronger powers. I sighed, figuring that what I wanted was near impossible.I secretly searched the house for the jewel while Kohaku, Kikyo and Kaede went to the market. I opened up all the drawers I could find, and looked under everything in the whole house. No matter where I looked, I just couldin't find it, which pissed me off. 'Where in the seven hells did they hide it?!' I asked myself. 'Wait!' I thought, 'maybe Kikyo has it with her! The wench!' Now that I thought about it, the fact that Kikyo had the jewel would make sence. 'She's supposed to be protecting it,' I thought, 'and in order to do that, you'd suspect that she keep it with her at all times.' I mentally slapped myself, wondering why I hadn't thought of that before. Like she was just going to leave the Shikon no Tama laying around her room somewhere. And that's when it came to me... Her room! Although I didn't know what room belonged to Kikyo, I quickly spotted (actually, smelled) it. I walked inside and looked all around. Clothes were laying all over the floor, and her covers on her bed were hanging all over the place. Her room looked horrible compaired to the rest of her home, and how neat it was. Suddenly, I saw something glimmering in the pocket of a pair of her pants. I stuck my hand in the pocket, and felt something smoothe and round. I pulled the object out of the pocket to reveal the Shikon no Tama. 'I found it...' I thought to myself. 'I finally have it... the ultimate power! It was so smiple!' Suddenly, I heard someone quickly approaching the room I was in. I quickly shoved the jewel in my pocket. Kikyo appeared in the doorway, looking at me with an angry glare. "What are you doing in here, Inu Yasha?" I didn't know what to do or say, and I just stood there with different emotions swelling up inside me.  
  
(A.N) Cliffhanger! ::laughs:: I am really sorry, it's just that I don't know how I want this scene to end. If you have any suggestions, please post them with your review. I'll be posting another chapter either tonight or tomorrow morning, so don't worry! Thank you for giving your time to read this story, and please review! 


	11. Betrayal

(:Diclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha, but he owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Hello, again. Last chapter was really hard for me to write because I didn't know how long to wait before certain things in the story happed. But, now I know, and I am prepaired to continue this story with full force and inspiration. I hope you enjoy the eleventh chapter of this story. PS: I will attempt to post a link to this story's homepage again, for it didn't appear last chapter. Here's the web address:   
I hope the link will work this time, or else I'll just post it on the review page. So if that site doesn't appear or work, check the review page.  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Eleven : Betrayal  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
"What are you doing in here, Inu Yasha?" Kikyo demanded, staring down at my pocket that held the jewel. Kikyo gasped, "I-Inu Yasha! How could you...? The jewel... I thought we were friends!" I gave the human girl an angry glare, "We are friends, but nothing will get in the way of my revenge! Not even my only friend!" Kikyo gasped, "revenge? Revenge for what?" I stood silently, not about to say anything. "Revenge for what, Inu Yasha?! Tell me! TELL ME!" I gasped, amazed at how angry the girl was getting. "I'm not going to tell you, Kikyo. It's none of your concern." Kikyo grabbed my arm, pleading, "yes I do! I worry about you! Inu Yasha, tell me! Why would you steal the Shikon no Tama from me? You're not like the other demons, Inu Yasha! You have a heart!" Guilt overwhelmed me. "Exactly. I am not like the other demons. To get revenge, I must be like the other demons." Kikyo looked terrified. "You'd turn yourself into one of them?! Into a horrible, soul less creature... Just to get revenge? Inu Yasha, if you change into a full blood demon, you'll change! You won't be yourself anymore, all you'll care about is bloodshed... You won't be able to love anymore." I knew what Kikyo said was true, but I didn't care. "I am going to get revenge, Kikyo. No matter what the cost." Kikyo started to cry, "what am I talking about? You already are one of them, Inu Yasha. Filled with nothing but hate, except for love for one person. And you know what, Inu Yasha? That one person is dead. She won't come back, now or ever..." Not being able to hold back, I slapped Kikyo across the face, growling, "shut UP!" I screamed at the now sobbing girl, as blood ran down her face. "Inu... Yasha..." she cried. I stared down at my hand, my claws dripping with blood. I closed my eyes tight, not wanting any of this to be real. I knew what would happen if I used the Shikon no Tama, I knew I would lose all the love I ever felt in my heart. I knew that all I'd do would be to hurt people, like I had just done so easily to Kikyo. I knew that I had just betrayed Kikyo, and that she probably didn't even want to be my friend any more. "Kikyo, I..." I started, "I'm sorry. But I must follow what I know is best. And, I'll be taking the Shikon no Tama. If you try to stop me, well..." I paused, because I knew how hard it would be for me to say the next words. "I'll kill you, Kikyo. If you try to stop me." As I was leaving the room Kikyo gave me a terrified look, and whispered, "demon."  
  
I ran as fast as I could from Kikyo's home, scared of myself for what I had just done. I hated to hurt women, espicially ones that were kind to me. Kohaku spotted me running, and called after me, but I ignored her. I knew that she'd never act so kindly and motherly towards me anymore. I wasn't going to care about other people's emotions anymore, though. Not after I used the Shikon no Tama. I could imagine my half brother staring up at me with envy in his eyes as I stood more powerful than him. I could smell my father's fear that he was going to feel. The Shikon no Tama would make my life fall into place, and I would finally feel content... I hoped. Inside, I didn't care if I felt pain or not. The only thing I truly cared about was getting my revenge. Once I got my revenge, I wouldin't really care much if Kikyo showed up and tore the Shikon no Tama out of me, because I would be happy knowing that I had kept my promise of getting my revenge. I thought about how I had seen my mother's face only a week ago. I thought about how stupid it was of me to leave her side that day, with her being in such a horrible condition. I hated myself for my actions that day, wishing that I could start over again. In fact, sometimes I even wished that I was never born. That way, mother wouldin't carry the burden on her sholders of having a friendless hanyou as a son. 'What are you thinking about?' I screamed inside my head. 'Damnit, Inu Yasha! Her last words were your name. You were the only thing that kept her alive for so long! You gave her faith!' I knew that was the truth, and it made me feel a little better to think that I could do something useful for once in my life. My father often yelled at me when I was young, demanding me to do something 'more useful' with my life. He didn't like to see me spending much time with my mother, fearing that it made me seem weak to be seen around a woman - espically a human woman - all the time. I was often angered by my father and how easily he could insult Mother behind her back. He was a coward, if I had ever seen one.  
  
Later that night, I found a forest that would be good for me to hide in during the night. I sat perched up on a branch of a tree, using the blanket that was in my bag to put behind my head. I thought about everything that had happened earlier that day with Kikyo. I remembered the girl's hurtful words : "You already are one of them, Inu Yasha. Filled with nothing but hate, except for love for one person. And you know what, Inu Yasha? That one person is dead. She won't come back, now or ever..." I sighed. I knew she wasn't coming back... But I just couldin't face the truth. I kept awaiting the day she would be sitting close to my bed when I awoke in the morning, like she used to do. She would sit next to me while I slept, smiling the whole time. She had the most beautiful smile, a smile that made you feel like you were the most important person in the world. I could almost feel her kind eyes gasing down on me as I sat, looking up at the millions of stars that graced the night sky. I reached into my pocket, and pulled out the Shikon no Tama. I looked at it, as the moon reflected on the white gem. I clasped the ball tightly in my hand, knowing that it would come into great use later on. Putting the gem back into my pocket, I let my heavy eyelids flutter shut, as I fell asleep.  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
I was at a hot spring in the middle of a vibrant green forest. Warm air rose off the surface of the water, making the cool night air seem warm. The moon shone down on me, reflecting it's huge picture on the surface of the spring. It was a beautiful night, millions of stars danced in the night sky. Suddenly, I noticed my mother sitting in the water, signaling for me to come in with her. Although I didn't understand the point of going into the natural boiling water, I did as I told to make Mother happy. After I slowly got in the water, my mother signed. "Isn't it wonderful?" she asked. "What are you talking about, Mother?" I asked, not sure what she was talking about. Everyone knew that women had the tendency to say things at odd times. "The water. You and I being together... Everything. Life is wonderful, isn't it, Inu Yasha?" I looked down at the shimmering surface of the water, "yeah... I guess so." Mother just smiled, and splashed me with the water. "Inu Yasha, you're too serious all the time! You're young, and have a long life ahead of you, so you should enjoy your youth as long as it lasts you." I sighed, "I suppose so." Mother reached up and scratched my ears, "I just want you to be happy, my son." While my mother wasn't looking, I splashed her. "Hey!" she shouted, ringing out her hair. "You had it coming, Okaasan." She smiled, and we continued to splash eachother for a few minutes. Suddenly, my mother started to cough. "Are you all right?" I asked, in a frantic tone. Mother nodded, continuing to cough. Her coughs got harder and harder, until I smelled the faint scent of   
blood, and she stopped. I gasped, "are you alright? I smell blood!" My mother stared out across the water, sadness in her eyes. "Inu Yasha..." she started, tears forming in her eyes, "I am dying."  
  
(A.N) I know, I know, another cliffhanger. But don't blame me, blame Inufanatic007. He told me that the only way to have a good story was to make more cliffhangers. So, kiddo, I followed your advice. Also, would you please post in your review if you're for/against me using Japanese in my stories? I speak Japanese fluently, so it takes hard concentration for me not to slip a few Japanese words in. Please review, and thank you for taking the time to read my story! -Mae- 


	12. Hate

(:Disclaimer:) I don't own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) I really liked CH11, didn't you? I am glad that I have a new inspiration for this story as of last night. Don't ask me why, I just do. I estimate that this story will be at least 20 chapters, if not more. If you want the homepage for this story, then please email me at ljcon54@aol.com and label the email 'regarding ff.net'. Thank you.  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Twelve : Hate  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
I awoke the next morning sweating with fear. 'Another dream about her,' I thought to myself, 'her spirit won't leave me alone. She truly is... She's haunting me in dreams.' I recalled all the memories and dreams that I had been having lately, all having to do with her death. I wanted to remember every detail of her life, yet part of me just wanted to move on. 'I need to get my revenge,' I thought, 'I promised myself and Mother that I would. Her spirit will be at peace if my father is killed.' At least I hoped that her spirit would calm down. I sat up, catching the blanket behind my head as it fell. I stood up on the tree branch, grabbed my bag, and jumped down onto the wet forest floor, landing on my feet. The grass was lightly frosted with morning dew, as were all the leaves on the trees. I quickly stuck my hand in my pocket to make sure it was still there, and thankfully it was. I walked out of the forest to the path that I had arrived from, continuing down it. All the smells of the morning air lifted my spirits. Ever since I had gotten my hands on the Shikon no Tama, I was somewhat relieved. But for some reason I kept thinking about Kikyo and her family. I'm sure that they were greatly affected by me taking the jewel. I could still see Kikyo's terrified, painfilled eyes as I slapped her face. I could still smell her tears as they poured from her sorrowful eyes. Part of me greatly regretted everything that had happened yesterday. The other part of me thought it was well worth it. 'She deserved what you did, Inu Yasha. After all, she was trying to pry into your life,' I thought to myself, 'that's true... but... She was only trying to help... Or maybe, just maybe. Maybe she was trying to hurt me. Maybe she wanted me to lose control. Hell, maybe she didn't even care. All she probably cared about was the jewel.' I wasn't sure what to believe just yet, and I wouldin't know what to believe until I heard Kikyo herself tell me the truth.  
  
As the day pressed on, slowly but surely, I began to get paranoid about my posession of the jewel. I turned around at every noise I heard, and kept my hand in my pocket with the jewel in it at all times. I didn't know why I was being so protective, I guess I just thought that someone was going to take it from me. After all, plenty of demons had lost their lives fighting over the sacred Shikon no Tama, and I wanted to make sure that I wasn't going to be one of them. I continued with all my sences alert, and my claws extended. I eventually reached a nice place to take a rest. Even though I wasn't tired, I still felt that it was best if I took some time to calm down. 'Nobody is going to take the Shikon no Tama,' I assured myself, 'they don't even know you have it. They still think it's in Kikyo's posession.' Although the thought of demons chasing after Kikyo wasn't the most comforting think in the world, it still made me feel better than thinking that a bunch of demons were after me. I laid down in the grass, looking up at the sky. It was cloudy, and I smelled rain in the air. 'Oh well,' I thought, 'the rain doesn't bother me.' I closed my eyes for a few minutes, thinking about what I was going to do when I returned home to my empty house. I hoped that no one had broken in and stolen anything. Of course, there really wasn't anything of much value in the house, considering that I had the most valuable items with me. I stretched my arms out on the ground, yawning. 'Living alone really isn't all that bad,' I thought to myself, 'if you live alone, you can do whatever you want, and always be confined in your own solitude. If you're alone, you don't have to worry about pleasing anyone else, and you have your whole day to yourself, doing whatever you wanted.' I thought about how I could now go hunting without Mother scolding me, and I could go to the villiage whenever I wanted. It's not like I actually would ever be that excited about going to the villiage, for all the demons there looked down on me, but the thought that I could made me feel independant.  
  
Suddenly, I heard a rattle in the bushes, and smelled a demon. Sitting up, I turned around to find a full blood demon standing just feet away from me. He looked to be about 17 in human years, but I knew that he was by far older than I. He had long black hair that was tied by cloth below his shoulders. Black pinstripes covered his face and hands, and he had silver eyes. He was dressed in a yukata with battle boots. A metal chest plate wrapped around his chest, protecting his heart from any attacks. He looked me in the eyes, and smiled. "Hello, boy. I hear rumors that you have the Shikon no Tama. Is that so?" I shivered at his smooth, monotonious voice. "What the hell is it to you?" I asked, knowing he was going to want to fight me. "That's rather foul language for a child your age to be using," he laughed, showing his long fangs. "Shut up!" I demended, out of fury and fright. "I can't blame you for being scared. After all, you're just a hanyou, and I'm a full blooded demon." I glared up at him, baring my fangs, "I've had it with you, bastard." He continued laughing, "stupid child. What do they call you?" I continued staring at the demon, not letting him out of my sight, "Inu Yasha." He looked up at the sky. "Inu Yasha? Aren't you the son of the Great Demon of the Western Domain...? Minoku, that's his name, right? Nevertheless, my name is Kyozame, and I will kill you today." I ran up to Kyozame with fury in my eyes, and my claws extended to their limit. I tried to impail him with my claws, but he swiftly moved and grabbed my hair. He lifted his hand to punch my face, but I blocked his attack with my hand, and tore into his flesh with my claws, making his fingers on that hand temporarily paralyzed. He screamed in pain for a minute, as I sunk my fangs into the arm he was holding me with, tearing off a chunk of his flesh. He looked at me with his cold anger filled eyes, and heaved his body towards me, attempting to knock me down. He prevailed, and he attempted to dig his claws into my chest. Before he had the chance to, however, I dug one of my claws into his right eye. He let out another high pitched scream, making my ears press down on my head due to the high noise. I knocked Kyozame off of me, and stuck my hand into his back as hard as I could, making it go through to his other side. He lay there for a few moments, motionless, until he suddenly got up and ran out of sight. I watched as Kyozame ran off, with a confused expression on my face. 'He left just like that?' I thought to myself. 'How pitiful.' I reached into my pocket that the Shikon no Tama was in, only to find that...  
  
...The Shikon no Tama had been stolen...  
  
(:A.N:) Well, that's it for chapter twelve! Just in case you were wondering, Kyozame literally means 'fun kill' which I felt fit his personality perfectly. Hmm... I wonder what happened to the Shikon no Tama (it's kinda obvious... lol) well, I'll update either tonight or tomorrow morning, so fear not! Please review, okay? Thank you! -Mae- 


	13. Pain

(:Disclaimer:) I don't own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Hello again! Chapter twelve was fun, wasn' it? I like writing fighting scenes, even though I'm really not that good at them. ::laugh:: Anyways, we'll be seeing quite a bit more of Kyozame (aka Mr New Demon, as I call him) in future chapters, and maybe even in this chapter. (I don't even know myself). Anyways, the next chapters will be good ones, so be sure to pay close attention!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Thirteen : Pain  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
I searched frantically for the Shikon no Tama everywhere I could think of. I checked on the ground, to see if it had perhaps fallen out of my pocket while Kyozame and I were fighting. No luck. With no sign of the Shikon no Tama anywhere, I then knew that there was only one thing that could of happened. Kyozame stole it. I ran after his scent, looking for a sign of him. I was running in the same direction that I would of traveled anyways, so I wasn't going too far out of my way to search for the demon. 'How could you have let him take it from you so easily?' I asked myself, 'I was so reged in battle, I didn't even notice. I could of easily killed him...' I smiled at the thought of this, and felt confident about getting the Shikon no Tama from him. With my new spur of confidence, I ran even faster than I already was, jumping from branch to branch on the surrounding trees. The forest animals ran quickly as I approached them, of fear that I'd run them over. As I got closer and closer to my home, I became less optomistic on locating Kyozame tonight. Suddenly, I smelled something familiar, and heard something running on the forest floor. I dropped down to the ground, and continued following my sences until I found someone. Kyozame was sitting on the base of a large tree, clasping the Shikon no Tama as if his life depended on it. He turned and faced me, smiling that same cunning smile that he had used earlier. "Temeee..." I scowled. He laughed, "oh, Inu Yasha? You found me that fast? I'm impressed, boy. I suggest that you give up your hopeless mission to become full demon, because I, using the Shikon no Tama, will easily tear you to shreads." I scowled, disregarding his shallow comments. "You're all talk, Kyozame. Enough of your foolish mockery. I'm here to get what is rightfully mine back!" He gazed at me with his glazed eyes, "rightfully? I'm sorry, child, but the Shikon no Tama has never been rightfully owned. It has been stolen from many many demons over the past years, and no one has ever rightfully owned it." I let out a confident laugh, "how about this? If I win it in a battle, is it rightfully mine, so to speak?" Kyozame stood up, "so you are challenging me?" I smirked, "duh. You just caught that now? Hopefully you won't be this slow in battle!" Kyozame laughed, "true, but allow me to do something first."  
  
Kyozame made a large gash in his arm, and put the Shikon no Tama inside, his skin quickly regenerating to cover both the wound and the Shikon no Tama. I quickly ran over to him and attempted to retrieve the jewel back from him, but as I approached, a shield appeared over his body, preventing me from getting close to him. I gasped as he started to transform. His silver eyes turned bright red, and his muscle mass quickly grew. His black hair became stark white, and his fangs grew one fourth in size. He seemed to look older, and more mature. Once his transformation was complete, he charged at me with full force, knocking me back against a tree. I impailed his shoulders with my claws, tearing up his skin. As he continued to push me into the tree, I lifted my legs up against the tree trunk, and pushed his body away from mine. Released from his grasp, I swung a punch as hard as I could towards his face, making his seem disoriented for a second. I crept towards his backside, about to attack, when I noticed something. 'He has a metal plate surrounding his heart. His weak spot must be his heart! If I can manage to get his chest plate off, then I'll have access and be able to inflict more damage!' I smiled to myself at my brilliant new plan, not noticing Kyozame's hand moving swiftly towards my stomach. Before I could pull back or move, his hand went through my body, making me scream in pain. My eyes started to flutter shut for a minute, but I quickly stopped, knowing that I had a battle to finish. As he finally removed his hand from inside of me, I shot him an anger filled glare. "Did I hurt you, boy? I'm terribly sorry," he mocked, making my anger increase. I slammed his head into a tree while he was busy laughing at his own dumb joke, making his eyes go wide. I reached towards his chest plate, but he quickly tore me away from his body, sending me falling towards the ground. While on the ground, Kyozame pushed his foot through the healing hole in my body, making me scream uncontrolably. He laughed, applying more force. I felt so weak, I couldin't move. It felt as if a thousand knives were stabbing me at once. My eyes fluttered shut, and my vision got dark. I could see a golden light out of the corners of my eyes, but as I tried to look at it, it disappered. Giving up, I let my eyes close, looking up at Kyozame's joyful face.  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
I opened my eyes to find myself at a familiar location. I knew all the scents and sounds around me, so I felt safe. I was at my father's home, only it was before father had abandoned Mother and me. I looked over to my right to find Mother and Father talking while walking through the garden. They both looked so content, and happy to be with eachother. Suddenly, I heard someone approaching me. I turned to see my half brother, Sessho Maru, looking at me with a friendly smile on his face. "You're here, Inu Yasha. I thought I heard Father say something earlier about you going to drop by today. I'm glad you did." Sessho Maru was being kind to me, just as he had done when I was a young child. I looked at him with sorrow in my eyes, "I'm glad to see you're doing well, Brother." He slowly approached me, and whispered into my ear, "so, do you want to finish where we left off last time?" At first I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but then I remembered about the battle we had enraged in last time I was here, about a month ago. I sighed, "I'm sorry, but I'm not up to the challenge today, Sessho Maru." He looked at me with worry in his eyes, "are you feeling alright, Inu Yasha? You're usually the one to jump right into battle. Are you ill?" I nodded 'no,' and looked down at the ground. "Then what's wrong? Do tell me, Inu Yasha," he beckoned. "It's wrong, I just didn't get much sleep last night, and when I'm tired, you'll surely win the battle." I was lying, of course, but Sessho Maru didn't need to know anything about my life with my mother. After all, he was not one to approve of humans, despite the fact that our father was currently married to one. "Is it about Hotaru's illness?" he asked, looking concerned. I looked down at the ground, scuffing my feet. "You don't care about my mother, Sessho Maru. I know how badly you think of humans." He glared at me, "are you judging me, Inu Yasha? Your kind is not one to judge people like me." I started filling with anger. Sometimes my brother acted kindly to me, but other times he acted hateful. I had mixed feelings about my brother, just as he had them towards me. Of course, I was quite used to our arguements. After all, we had been having them since I was very young. "Of course, Sessho Maru. I would never jump to conclusions towards someone with your kindness. You love humans. As a matter of fact, it's hard to get you away from them," I said, sarcastically. Apparently Sessho Maru wasn't very delighted by my humor, as he slapped me across the face, making me cry. Mother ran up to me, hearing me cry. She rubbed the red mark on my face, punishing Sessho Maru. Needless to say, I went to bed happy that night.  
  
~*End of Dream*~  
  
(:A.N:) Well, that's it for the thirteenth segment of this story, and I hope you enjoyed it. Poor Inu Yasha... *snif* I do hope he has a quick recovery, don't you? I threw in the dream at the end because I thought it would make a nice additon. What did you think? Please review! Thank you! -Mae- 


	14. Okaeri

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. Inu Yasha owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Hello again! This story is coming along nicely (only 499 more words until I reach 20,000!!!) I am really excited about continuing this story, and come up with new ideas every day! If you have any good ideas, feel free to post them in your review, I'm always welcome to your opinions! Anyway, After only five (almost six) days of working on this story, I am already on the fourteenth chapter! Well, I don't want to keep you with my mindless talking, so : Onto the story!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Fourteen : Okaeri  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
When I woke up, I was lying on the forest floor, soaked in my own blood. I looked down at my stomach to reveal that my wound was healing quite well. I tried to sit up, and a splitting pain shot through my body. I let out a quiet scream, not wanting to draw any attention. Ignoring the pain, I quickly stood up, and staggered over to the nearest tree, grabbing onto it. The smell of my own blood made me feel dizzy, as it overwhelmed me. I slowly walked over to my bag which was lying on the ground, and picked it up. I knew that I was only about a mile from my home, and even less than a mile until I reached a hot spring. I slowly walked out to the path that stretched down through the forest, and continued along, clutching my stomach. 'How could I have been as careless to let him do this to me?' I questioned myself, realizing how bad my injuries were. If I were a full blood human, I would have certainly been dead. If I was a full blood demon, I would have been cured already. But, being a hanyou, I survived, but just barely. One more attack could of possibly killed me. I shoudin't have been careless enough to allow him to take the Shikon no Tama from me... I should of kept my eye on it more closely. If I hadn't been so careless, then I wouldin't have gotten as hurt as I was. I continued to walk in silence, as my pain started to overwhelm me. I started to walk slower, noticing that my wound had reopened due to my moving around so much. I stopped walking for a minute to catch my breath, for I was having a bit of trouble breathing. Determined, I decided to run until I reached my house, which was only half a mile away. Breathing deeply so I could endure more pain, I set off running as fast and hard as I could until I finally reached the door of my house. I slowly opened the door, and collapsed on the floor. I curled up in pain, and started to sob because of all the pain I was feeling. Trying not to move, I grabbed my bag and retrieved my blanket, wrapping it around me. "Tadaima..." I whispered to no one. "Okaeri," a woman's voice answered. Scared at who was in my house, I rolled onto my other side to look for someone. I didn't hear or smell anyone, so I figured I was just hearing things. Shutting my eyes, I fell asleep.  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
"Inu Yasha, is that you?" my mother asked as I entered the house. "Yes. I'm home," I declaired. "Welcome home, son. How was your day?" my mother asked from the other room. I walked into her room, where she was sitting in her rocking chair, quilting. "It was good, Father and I had a good time." She smiled, "I'm glad." I walked over to my mother and sat down next to her, watching her careful stitchwork. "What did you do today, Mother?" I asked. "Well," she started, "I went to the market earlier, and bought some food, and also some more fabric for my quilting. When I returned home, I continued working on my quilt, and here I am." I touched the soft fabric of the quilt, and rubbed my face on it. "It's soft, I like it," I remarked. She laughed, and scratched my ears. "I'm glad you do," she said. "So, Mother, do you have any plans for tonight?" She shook her head, "no, I never do." I looked at her saddening face, "I'm sorry, Okaasan. You and I can have fun tonight, okay?" She laughed a childish laugh, with her eyes lighting up, "okay!" I smiled, loving to see her happy. "Nee, Inu Yasha. Do you know what tonight is?" I shook my head, for I never felt the need to keep track of the date. "It's the new moon tonight," she said, planting her hand on top of my head. I moaned, "oh, I hate the new moon! Why didn't you tell me earlier, Okaasan?" She giggled, "I thought I'd surprise you." I got up, and looked out the window. The sun was still up, so I still had a few hours. I paced back and forth, worrying about tonight. 'I hate the new moon,' I thought to myself, 'not only do I become human, I also lose my ability to protect Mother and me...' My mother looked up at me with her big eyes, "Inu Yasha, you don't have to worry. When you're young, you shouldin't have to be stressed all the time. Nobody will attack us, yo and I will be safe." I stopped pacing, and looked into my mothers eyes, "how can you tell what I'm thinking so easily?" She smiled, "when you love someone with all your heart, you can tell what they're feeling, and what they're thinking about." I thought about what she had just said. I could never read what my mother was thinking... Maybe it was a power only women posessed. Deciding not to worry about it, I sat down next to my mother once again, listening to the rythmic rocking of her chair.  
  
Later that evening, while Mother and I sat in the living area, eating our dinner, she pointed at me, "you're becoming human." I sighed, sinking my head in my hands. I felt as my ears slid down the side of my head, becoming human ears. My vision greatly decreased, and the iris of my eyes became violet, much like my mother's eyes. My silver hair melted into a midnight black color, and my claws and fangs disappeared. I was left with horrible hearing, smelling, and vision. I sighed, and looked up at my mother, who was looking at me with sorrowful eyes. The lightly placed my head on her lap, stroking my hair. "It's only for a few hours," she assured, smiling. In the morning you'll be back to normal, so you basically sleep for the whole time you're human." I sat up, and stretched. "Yeah, you're right Okaasan." She started to giggle, looking at me. "What is it?" I asked, rather annoyed. "You're so cute!" she said, messing up my hair. "Okaasan, please!" I pleaded, embarassed by my mother's behavior. She often acted like a young girl, giggling and carrying on. I always thought that her childish behavior was one of her best attributes, making her seem even more youthful than she already was. "Nee, Inu Yasha?" she asked, "do you like it better being a human, or a hanyou?" I laughed, "why would I fret about being a human for one night if I would rather be one?" My mother laughed, "I suppose I can't blame you. Not one bit."  
  
~*End of Dream*~  
  
As I slowly opened my eyes, I was greeted by a woman's voice, the same that had spoken to me the night before. "Good morning, Inu Yasha. It's a lovely day," she said, sounding happy. I sat up quickly, trying to find the source of the voice. And then I saw her, sitting in a rocking chair, working on a quilt... "Mother?"  
  
(A.N) Wait? What's Hotaru doing at the house?! Well, you'll just have to wait and see! ^ ^; Jus in case you were wondering, okaeri means 'welcome home', and tadaima means 'I am home'  
Well, the next chapter is sure to be great, so check back to this story ASAP, because I post twice a day! Please review, won't you? -Mae- 


	15. Ghost

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Wow, I really liked last chapter. I wonder if any of you can predict the future of this story? (I can't lol) Anyways, I am very happy with this story (over 20,000 words, yipee!) and I am trying to make it as enjoyable as possible. I hope you like it as much as I do!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Fifteen : Ghost  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
I stared at the woman in front of me, who was peacefully rocking back and forth in the old rocking chair in the corner. The morning sun reflected off her midnight black hair, and she stared at me with her lively violet eyes. She was dressed in a purple silk kimono, the same one she had been wearing when she died. Her thick pink lips curled up into a beautiful smile. "Inu Yasha... What would you like to do today?" she asked, as if this was the way it had always been. I stared at her with disbelief in my eyes, not knowing if I should believe what I saw or not. "Okaasan... But... But you're dead... How... Why are you here?" I asked in sheer terror and happiness. I didn't know what to feel, or what to believe. I slowly stood up, and walked over to my mother. "I've missed you, my son. I just came by to say hello," she explained as if things of this nature happened everyday. "But... You're not supposed to be here, Okaasan! You've died... I burned your courpse myself. Look! Look out that window, your grave is right there!" I pointed out the window, where the grave was. ...Only the grave wasn't there. I reached down to where the wound in my stomach was, only to find it gone. "Where are we?" I asked, terror filled. "We are in our home just as I remembered it when I died. Our surroundings are only an illusion," she explained. I looked down at the bed I had just been laying in, to find that there was black ink and rice paper spread on either side of the bed. The same things that she had used to write her death note with. We truly were in an illusion, an illusion I wished I was not in. "Inu Yasha, why aren't you with your father?" Mother asked. "Because he no longer wants my presence," I explained with sorrow in my voice. "So you've been alone since I died?" I nodded, and walked up to my mother. "I am seeking revenge for your death," I explained. "Revenge? I died because of an illness, and you cannot seek revenge on an illness," she said. Apparently she was not aware that there had been poison in the vail she had drank from. "Mother, Father killed you. The herbal medicine he said he was giving to you was really poison," I explained, sorrow overwhelming me. Mother did not seem to mind the truth. "I see, so he has moved on from my death already?" I nodded, hating to be the bearer of such bad news. "It's alright though, Mother. I'll love you forever," I said, placing my hand on her face. Her skin felt cold to the touch, not warm and soft as it had been while she was alive. When I looked closely at her, I noticed that she looked a little bit older, and age worn.  
  
She pulled me closer to her, and embraced me in her arms. I could feel her tears fall onto my shoulder, and I could feel her overwhelming sorrow. "I'm so sorry that I left you all alone that day," I said, "it's all my fault... I'm so sorry." She looked right into my eyes, "it's not your fault, Inu Yasha. Don't you ever think that. My time was drawing shorter and shorter... Even if Minoku did not poison me, I was sure to pass on in less than a month. When I died, I was so weak. I couldin't move, and I couldin't breathe easily... I was useless. Perhaps it was better that I died when I did." I sighed, "but... We could of at least have had a little more time together... Your death was so sudden. I just left for the well, and then just as I was finishing cleaning, Father approached me and told me that you had died... I didn't believe it, not at all. I had just seen your face less than an hour before... I couldin't believe it... And when I returned home, there you were, lying in your bed. At first I thought that you were sleeping... But I couldin't hear your heart... And I just..." With that, I started crying along with Mother. I wished that she and I could stay like this together, in eachother's comforting embrace... "Mother, when do you have to leave?" I asked. "I'm afraid that I cannot stay much longer, because of how much energy it takes up to create this type of world." I wished that she could stay for another few days... There was so much I wanted to tell her about, and so many things that had changed in the past week. My life had been flipped upside down, and my world had completely changed. "I'm going to miss you when you leave... more than ever," I said. She sadly smiled, "I know... But perhaps I can see you again like this, okay? Never give up hope, Inu Yasha. Promise me that you'll never give up, no matter what. I know that life can seem hard and unfair sometimes, but if you keep the light in your heart strong, you can make it through anything. Someday, Inu Yasha, you'll find happiness... I know it."  
  
With that, she disappeared. In my mind I tried to understand what happened, but I couldin't. Was that just a dream? If couldin't have been... I held her and she held me. Dreams aren't that real. I looked down to discover that my kimono was still soaked in blood, and the wound in my stomach had almost healed. I slowly walked over to the window in Mother's room, to find that her grave had appeared once more. The rice paper and ink had disappeared from beside her bed... Everything was back to normal. I left Mother's room and went into the main room in the house. The contents of my bag were spilled out all over the floor, as I had done last night. I sighed, 'I must get revenge now, no matter what. I felt her sorrow as I told her the truth, even if she tried to hide it.' I reached up and touched the shoulder that she had cried on, and I could still feel the wetness of her tears. I knew that I had to act fast before Kyozame became too powerful from the Shikon no Tama. Before I could defeat him, though, I would need a sword. 'That way, when you have access to his heart, you can act quickly,' I thought to myself. I remembered about a sword that Father kept in the house, in his old room. I entered his room, and his smell lingered everywhere. I let out a growl, hating to be in a place that reminded me so much of him. Walking around the room, I found the sword in the corner of his room, between his dresser and the wall. I picked it up, and removed the sheath from the blade. It seemed to be pretty new, and in good shape. It had a double bladed edge and a very sharp point. I ran my finger over the blade ever so lightly to test how sharp it was. It easily cut my skin. I smiled, and placed the sword back in it's sheath. I was going to get the Shikon no Tama... And I was going to get my revenge... No matter what.  
  
(:A.N:) Wow, this was a weird chapter, wasn't it? I like it, though, and I think it shows how Hotaru really felt inside. The next chapter will go back to Inu's quest (This chapter was sort of off topic ^ ^) Anyways, that's it for chapter 15, and keep an eye out for updates! Thank you for reading and please review! -Mae- 


	16. Seeking

(:Disclamier:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Alright! I have 25 reviews ^ ^;; (not that many, I know --) and I'm motivated to continue this story! I'm already on chapter sixteen, isn't that cool? I think so! Well, I thought about how I am going to continue this story today in school... And I decided to just play it by mind, and not really have my mind set on where I want to take this story ::laughs:: Oh, well. Onto chapter sixteen, my friends!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Sixteen : Seeking  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
With my new sword, I ran out of my house and immediately tried tracking down Kyozame. I figured that he had gotten far away by now, considering that I had been home for nearly twelve hours. I sighed, not knowing where to go to look for him. I remembered that when I last saw him, he was heading east, so I continued down the path in the forest eastword, hoping to spot him. It was still early in the morning, but the sun was shining brightly above me. I looked up at the topography which was glimmering from the bright rays of the sun. I could hear the songs of birds in the distance, and the leaves blowing in the wind. Today was warm, yet the wind made it so I kept cool, which was good. I kept my senses alert for any sign of Kyozame, but it seemed as if he had vanished. After I became impatient with my search, I began to run, not wanting to waste any more time. The trees blurred past me as I ran, and my feet pounded on the ground in a fast rythm. My heart raced from anticipation, excitement, and fear all at the same time, making it feel like it was going to explode at any given moment. I finally made it through the forest and into a small villiage of humans. Not minding their stares or comments, I pressed on, running as fast as ever. While running, I heard a human say, "hey, look, a hanyou. Isn't he funny looking?" I stopped as soon as I heard the words slip from the man's mouth, and gave him an angry glare, removing my sword from the sheath that was fastened to my side. "What was that, human?" I smirked, enjoying scaring the human. "W... What are you talking about? I didn't say anything!" he stammered, sounding terrified. "Sure," I said, "I won't kill you this time, but you won't be so lucky next time." The man sighed in relief, and thanked me over and over again. 'How pitiful,' I thought to myself, snickering. Inside I wondered to myself why I was just acting so cruely towards a human, but I assured myself that I had only acted towards him in that manor because he had insulted me. I knew that, no matter how much I wanted to say I did, and how much I tried to convince myself, I could never truly hate a human. After all, my mother was a human, and I could never hate her, nor think badly of anything she did. I just didn't have the heart.  
  
I continued on my journey to find Kyozame, walking on the path that led east. It was late afternoon now, and the sun was slowly starting to set. The forest began to get slightly darker as the minutes stretched on, so I began to ran. Even though I knew that it usually wasn't best to rush in situations like the one I was in, I personally didn't care about what my conscience was telling me. I was approaching water, for I heard and smelled it. 'When I reach the water,' I thought, 'I'll rest for the night.' The sun was setting faster and faster, and the sky grew dark. I headed in the direction of the water, relieved that I could rest there. Travelling without rest made me grow tired rather quickly, so I was always happy to set a goal location where I could rest. The sound of rushing water grew closer and closer, until I found myself at a stream. I could see that there was a steep waterfall about 100 yards down from where I decided to rest, and I made sure not to get any closer to the waterfall, as it made me uneasy. I found a patch of soft grass and dropped my body onto the ground, thankful to get off my feet. I outstretched my arms, and looked up at the moon and the stars. I could hear the gentle rushing of water and the chirping of crickets off in the distance. I closed my eyes and let out a loud yawn. I sat up for a few minutes and popped my back, followed by my neck. My muscles were often sore and tight because of my constant stress, and because I was on my feet a lot. Laying back down, I slowly allowed myself to shut my eyes, and forgot all about my surroundings, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
Two large bluish grey eyes stared into mine, sending chills up my spine. A girl with long black hair and tanned skin looked desperately into my eyes, making me feel sorry for the girl. "Inu Yasha..." my name escaped her pink lips in her soft voice. "Why did you take the Shikon no Tama from me? Why did you betray me? Why...?" she asked me. "Kikyo...?" I asked, wondering why she was here with me. "Answer me, Inu Yasha," she demanded, as her voice grew into a dark tone. "You know why, Kikyo," I said. "Revenge for your mother is useless, Inu Yasha. You'll only get yourself killed, and you know it." I smiled, "I know. But if I can manage to get my revenge, I will die happy. And that's really all anoyone cares about." Kikyo shook her head, "you're lying, and you know it. You're trying to convince yourself into doing something that you know you can't do." I hated how Kikyo was talking to me, I hated the fact that she portrayed no faith in my decisions. "Shut up, girl," I said, beginning to get angry. "What if... I don't want to?" she asked, almost playfully, reaching out to me with both arms. I grabbed her wrists, and tightly held them. "If you know what's good for you, Kikyo, you will. I have no intention to hurt you, but if you continue to interfere... I may just have to." She gave me a sad smile, and shut her eyes. "Am I really that east to manipulate, Inu Yasha? Is it that easy to betray me? Were you lying to me the whole time you and I were together?" I shot her an angry glare. "Be quiet... You've no idea what you're talking about." She stepped closer to me, clasping our hands together, "yes I do. I know what I'm talking about. You'd never hurt me, Inu Yasha, you're not like that. You have human emotions, and you're weak against them. You'd never have the strength to hurt someone like me." I was furious at what she had said, and started growling, "shut up, Kikyo. I'm warning you. Don't you dare talk to me like that again. I am not as inferior as you are, in fact, I am superior to your kind. I could easily kill you right now if I wanted to." She smiled, and looked straight into my eyes. "If that's true, then do it. I dare you, Inu Yasha. Kill me," she said, mockingly. My blood was rushing through my veins, and my heart was pounding. I wasn't going to allow her to say any more to me. I raised my hand high in the air, extended my claws, and stabbed the girl through the heart. I pulled my hand from the girl, and licked her blood off my hand. "Told ya," I laughed, "I told ya I'd do it, wench."  
  
~* End of Dream *~  
  
When I awoke from my dream, my heart was pounding. Even though I knew that what I had just seen was only a dream, it felt so real. In my dream I had killed Kikyo so easily, feeling no regret at all. I wondered if that was how I was in real life, as well. Suddenly, I heard a rattling in some nearby bushes. I slowly got up, and walked over to the source of the noise. I cautiously navigated through the bushes, until I was down by the side of the waterfall. I left the bushes to find Kyozame staring at me with a look of insanity in his eyes. Before I could react, he grabbed me by my neck, and held me out over the side of the waterfall. "Inu Yasha," he laughed, "we meet again."  
  
(:A.N:) Eek! I only wrote one chapter today! I am really sorry, minna san!! *bows in apology* I finally got together with some friends today (which I never do) so I hope you're happy for me and forgive me! I'm sure you will, considering you must be pretty cool if you're reading my story! *lol* Anyways, I will work on chapter seventeen tonight and hopefully have it posted by tomorrow morning, so keep your eyes open! Thank you for reading my story, and please review! Thank you! -Mae- 


	17. Waterfall

(:Disclamier:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) All right! After a long nights sleep (7 hours ^ ^;;;) I am up and ready to continue this story (or at least I'll convince myself into thinking that). This is already chapter seventeen, isn't it exciting? I think it is! *claps for self* Anyways, here's chapter seventeen!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Seventeen : Waterfall  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
Kyozame had a tight grip on my neck, and was holding me high above a steep waterfall. "Inu Yasha," he laughed, "we meet again." I was having a hard time breathing, and I couldin't even cough. I was choking, and if I didn't get out of his grip soon I could sufficate. I reached down and pulled my sword out of it's sheath, thankful that I had found it. Kyozame was looking into my eyes, and didn't see when I stabbed him in the stomach so hard that the sword went out his back. His eyes got wide, and he fell backwards, dragging me with him. 'Good,' I thought, 'I'm on land.' I quickly stood up and removed the sword from Kyozame's stomach. "What's wrong?" I mocked, "did that hurt?" He stood up and glared at me. "No, but this will!" he yelled as he reopened the wound on my stomach. I winced, but continued to stand, in fear that I wouldin't be able to track him down if I lost sight of him again. I pounced on him, and dug my claws into his arms, puncturing his skin deeply. He threw me off of him, and slammed me into a tree. Before he could try to do anything else, though, I put my sword up to his neck, and pushed it through. He let out a high pitched scream, hurting my ears. He stumbled backwards, and fell onto the ground. "Oh, I'm sorry, Kyozame. I didn't mean to hurt you," I laughed, retrieving my sword. He jumped up. "TEME!*" he yelled, grabbing me by my neck once more, this time puncturing my skin. I tried to scream, but I couldin't. I quickly liftem by legs and pushed Kyozame down, landing on his stomach. I took this time to release the clasp that held on his chest plate. Kyozame stood once again, but this time his chest plate fell off. I grabbed it before Kyozame could, and threw it over the waterfall. I could of sworn that I was an expression of fear on his face for a second, but I wasn't sure. Before I could react, Kyozame had me in a death grip and held me over the edge of the waterfall. He laughed, "until we meet again, Inu Yasha." With that he slammed me down over the edge of the waterfall, head first. There were many jagged rocks that outstretched, and one deeply gashed my chest. I let out a terrified scream as I fell, until I slammed my head on a large rock, and my whole world was surrounded in darkness.  
  
~* Dream *~  
  
I was walking around a beautiful park, in between my mother and father, holding both of their hands. I looked up at my father who was adoringly smiling at my mother, and my mother who was adoringly smiling at my father. I was so happy to see them in love, spending time together. The air smelled of many flowers, and the wind playfully tossed the leaves on the ground. 'I wish,' I thought to myself, 'that life could of always been this happy.' I let out a sigh, and continued to walk with my parents. My mother looked at me with a worried expression, "What's wrong, Inu Chan?" I shook my head, "nothing, I'm fine, Okaasan!" She smiled, "yokatta.**" My mother's long black hair was tied together with a long purple ribbon, her favorite color, and her purple silk kimono had flowers embroidered on it's sleeves. My father wore an elaborate kimono, with his long white hair flowing freely behind him. "I'm bored," I yawned. "Why? Are you too old to be spending time with your parents, Inu Yasha?" my father joked. I laughed, "who else would I spend time with? I don't really have that many friends." My parents knew that I didn't really have any friends, but they always liked to act like I did. Maybe they did that to try to make me feel better... or maybe they did that to make themselves feel better. Not many people liked me because I was a hanyou. Sometimes, when I asked the parents of my friends if they could come over to my house, they would quickly tell me no, and that their child was not allowed to be friends with a hanyou. Their remarks made me feel sad at first, but after a while I started not to care, and sometimes their remarks even amused me. I knew that I would spend my life alone, but I truly did not care. I wouldin't really mind if I found a mate later on in life or not, either. Living life alone wasn't all that bad, anyways. You could do whatever you wanted whenever you felt like it... You could be totally independant.  
  
Later on that night, my parents and I were inside our home. Mother sat in her rocking chair in front of the fire place, quilting, and Father sat on the floor drinking tea and relaxing. I was laying down on the ground practicing my hiragana with a paintbrush and some rice paper. I had already learned many of the letters of hiragana, and knew all the characters in katakana. My mother liked to teach me how to read and write, saying that it would help me a lot later on in life. My father always said that it wasn't necessary for me to learn such things, and that it was better for me to learn how to fight. So some days my father would train me how to fight, and other days my mother would teach me how to write. It didn't really matter to me what I was to learn first, but my parents thought otherwise. So every other day I would switch from training to writing, and writing to training. I thought it was kind of funny about how my parents would argue about what they felt was more important for me to learn. Personally, I knew that writing would be very useful, but that fighting would be more practical. After all, in the day and age I lived in war was happening every day, and it wasn't unusual to be caught in the middle of the battles. Sometimes at night you could hear the yeling of men off in the distance, and the sound of swords clanking together. I thought that it was cool to watch the battles, as did my father, but my mother became crazed when my father tried to take me to see the fights. "Minoku!" she would yell, "Inu Yasha is too young to be put in the face of war! It's not safe out there for him!" Mother would always win those arguements because she would start to cry, and there was nothing that my father hated more than hearing a woman cry. I had to agree, for the sound was loud and annoying, and the scent of tears an unpleasant one. I dipped the brush in the ink and continued to practice my writing. Hiragana was a lot more difficult for me than katakana was, because of all the curved letters. Katakana focused more on straight lines, which was a lot easier for me to write. I sighed, and continued writing. My mother walked over to me, and leaned over my shoulder. "Your hiragana is coming along wonderfully, Inu Yasha," she commented, laying down next to me. "Thank you," I said. "Inu Yasha, are you all right?" she asked. "What?" I asked. "Are you all right?" she repeated.  
  
~*End of Dream*~  
  
"Hey! Are you all right?!" I woke up to a girl shaking me back and forth. "Wake up! Are you okay?" I slowly opened my eyes, and noticed that I was covered in blood. "Thank God you're awake! I was worried! I found you laying face down in the water, and I thought you were dead!" I thought hard, and my head killed me. I noticed that I was wrapped in many bandages, and that my kimono shirt was folded up under my head. A young girl looked into my eyes, looking very worried. She had on a light kimono, and had green eyes. Her long hair was tied back with a small white cloth, and her long black bangs hung in her face. A large boomerang was fastened to her back by a strap, apparently a weapon. "Where... where am I? Who... are you?" I said, my head pounding. "You must've fallen off the top of the cliff, looking at all your injuries. My name's Sango, a demon exterminator."  
  
(:A.N:) Okay, I know that in the actual story Sango doesn't come until after Kagome and Miroku do, but I thought it would be neat to have her in the story as a kid. PLEASE don't flame me for it, for I am well aware of the fact that I altered the story a bit. Now, here's the translations for the Japanese words in this chapter.  
*Teme: A very negative form of 'you'. Inu Yasha uses it quite often in the Japanese version of the anime.  
**Yokatta: I'm glad.  
Hiragana, in case you were wondering, is a form of Japanese script that Japanese children learn after Katakana (at least I learned it after katakana ^ ^;;) Anyways, the letters are more curved and round, and it is usually harder for people to learn to write than katakana. Kanji is the form of Japanese script that children learn last, and it is based on Chinese scripture. There are over 5,000 characters in kanji, and students have to take many years of it in high school, and hardly anyone knows how to read all the kanji in the Japanese language. That's it for today's lesson! lol. Thank you for reading this chapter and please review! -Mae- 


	18. Rest

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Okay, I'm trying to get back on track with my story (I only posted one chapter yesterday...) But heck, you people can wait. The fact that I'm posting even one chapter a day is a lot better than most of the other updating jobs on this site. I'm dedicated to serving you people, so please show your thanks by reviewing after you read this chapter!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Eighteen : Rest  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
"A demon exterminator?" I asked Sango in a whispered voice, for I was very weak. "A taijiya... surely you've heard of them?" I nodded, "I'm... a hanyo... So why are you helping me?" She smiled, "you haven't hurt anyone. I can tell you have a kind heart, too." I closed my eyes, "thank you." My body was in tremendous pain. It hurt when I tried to breathe, and my stomach wound had been reopened. I had a huge gash on my chest, from when I was slammed down the edge of the waterfall. My neck had gashed on it, because of Kyozame's claws. "Sango San..." I said, slowly, "have you heard of the demon Kyozame?" She nodded her head, "yes, I'm after him myself at the time. He's killed many innocent humans, and rumor has it that he's after the Shikon no Tama." I wasn't about to tell Sango that Kyozame had the Shikon no Tama, but what I would tell her was that Kyozame had injured me, and that I was after him. Hopefully we could team up against him, defeat him, and when Sango left, I could retrieve the Shikon no Tama from his corpse. I knew inside that I could not defeat Kyozame alone, and that I would need someone to distract him while I went for his heart. "Sango.. When my wounds have healed, we should team up and defeat Kyozame. His weak spot is his heart..." I started coughing, and caught my breath, "so you could distract him... And I'd attack him from behind." Sango nodded in approval, and smiled. "That'll be fine, but only after your wounds are healed! If you go into battle in your current condition, one blow from Kyozame and you'd be killed!" She didn't need to tell me that, I was well aware of the fact. "So, Inu Yasha," she said, kneeling down next to me, "do you live near here?" I shook my head, too tired to speak. "Take off your shirt, I need to bandage your wounds, because I didn't want to bandage them while you were sleeping." I did as I was told, too weak to argue. My chest had a huge gash on it, which was very deep, and my stomach was furiously bleeding. Sango cringed at the sight of my wounds, and sighed, "these wounds are terrible, Inu Yasha. It will take days for them to heal." She put an herbal mixture on my wounds, making pain shoot   
up my spine. I let out a loud scream, wondering what was in that medicine. "What is that stuff?" I asked, finally calming down. "It's an herb that cleans the wound, and helps it heal faster... I'm sorry it hurt so much, but it'll be worth it in the long run." Sango wrapped a long bandage around my chest and stomach, holding it on with a clip. She then repeated the process on my neck, which hurt twice as bad as my chest and stomach had. After she put a bandage on my neck, I collapsed down onto my pillow in pain, as my whole body burned.  
  
Later that night, Sango appeared with a bowl of some kind of liquid. "Here, drink this," she said. I inspected the liquid, "what is it? It won't burn, will it?" She shook her head, "no, this is healing ginsing, it'll help relieve tension from your body and help you to sleep." I drank it obidiently, and the taste was very sour. I had the urge to spit it out, but I figured it was best not to. After all, Sango had really saved my life and helped me, and she was even going to help me kill Kyozame. Once Sango saw that I had drinken all the liquid, she smiled, "feel better?" I nodded, lying. Apparently she didn't know that after falling off a cliff and getting severly beaten by an enraged demon, one tends not to feel to well. I laid down on my kimono top, closing my eyes. "If you don't live near here, Inu Yasha, then why are you here?" Sango asked, continuing the conversation we were somewhat having earlier. "I came here to kill Kyozame," I said, figuring she knew that. "What did he do to you, Inu Yasha?" I knew I couldin't tell her the truth, that he had stolen the Shikon no Tama from me, so I had to think fast. "He attacked my villiage, and burned my home," I said, hoping that she wouldin't be able to tell that I was lying. "How unfortunate," she said, with sympathy in her voice. "Do your parents know that you left to kill Kyozame?" she asked curiously. "No, they don't," I said. "Then won't they be worried about you?" she asked. I shook my head, "my mother was killed, and my father abandoned me." She looked at me with sorrow in her eyes, "I'm really sorry, Inu Yasha." I sighed, "it's all right." She smiled, "nee, Inu Yasha, do you want to be friends?" I nodded, "sure." She laughed, "that's good. There's no point to life if you live it all by yourself." I knew just how true that was, and I nodded. Sango layed down on the ground next to me, resting her head on her arms, "it's so pretty out tonight, isn't it?" I looked up at the brightly lit night sky, "yeah, it is." I tried to stand up, and let out a moan of pain. "Inu Yasha! Don't stand, your wounds will reopen!" Too late, I could feel the blood gushing from my chest and stomach. "Too late," I sighed, laying down again. Sango looked at me with worried eyes, "oh no, now you'll lose even more blood..." She looked down at my blood covered bandages, and could see that they were quickly leaking blood. She quickly ran over to the lake, and soaked a cloth in the water. Then she returned to my side, removing the bandages. She pressed down the cloth with a lot of force on my chest wound, making my whole body burn. "I'm really sorry, Inu Yasha, but it'll slow down the bleeding, and if you lose much more blood you'll faint." I could already feel my vision blurring, and my head felt like it was spinning in circles. With that, I fainted.  
  
I awoke the next morning to Sango standing in the lake. My chest was soaked with my blood, as was my neck. The sun was high in the sky, telling me that I had been asleep for a long time. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, yawning. As soon as Sango heard me, she ran over to my side. "Inu Yasha! You're awake, I'm so glad! You suddenly passed out last night from the loss of blood, and I was so worried... I thought that you might not wake up," she said, sadly. I was still to tired to answer her, but I continued to hazily look in her eyes. "The bleeding really hasn't stopped yet, which is really bad... I'm afraid that we'll be staying here again today." I nodded, understanding. "So, are you feeling any better today?" she asked in an optomistic tone. "Not really," I said. "I was afraid that that'd be the answer. You're burning up... It appears as if you're getting worse." I moaned, hating to feel so weak. Sango ran over to the side of the lake, and dipped a cloth in the water. She returned, and placed the cold cloth on my forehead. "There, this'll make it so you don't feel so hot." I thanked her, and closed my eyes. "We really need to get you to a doctor, Inu Yasha, because I have a feeling that your injuries are more serious than they seem." Inside I agreed, but I didn't want Sango thinking that I was that weak. "I'll be fine, Sango San. If I don't start to feel better in the next twelve hours, then if it makes you feel better I'll go to a doctor," I said, trying to be reasonable. She nodded, and sat down next to me. "Alright, but if your fever gets any higher, I'm going to make you go in the lake to cool off!" she said with all seriousness. Sango was so mature, and acted like a mother would towards their child. I silently laughed, looking up at the girl. This was going to be a long day.  
  
(:A.N:) Okay, that's it for chapter eighteen! I'm almost on chapter twenty, isn't that cool? I'm really excited! My longest story before this has been only 6 chapters, so I am really happy with this one! Please review and thanks for reading! 


	19. Change

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) I'm really sorry I didn't write a chapter yesterday! Please forgive me! ^ ^;; I am very happy because this story has been getting a lot of reviews lately, which makes me happy. By chapter twenty this story will be over 30,000 words long... isn't that neat? Please note that this is NOT going to be a Sango/Inu romance fic, let alone any kind of romance fic. I hate romance (well, writing it at least). Well, I don't want to keep you waiting: onto chapter nineteen!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Nineteen : Change  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
My day continued with Sango running back and forth, retrieving things for me, trying heal me, and just going places. It was like she was in fastforward, she never quit moving. "Sango San," I finally called the girl, "why don't you stop running around so much? Youre making me tired just from watching you." She laughed, and decided to come sit by me, "I'm really restless." I sighed, "I can tell." She got a wet cloth and started wiping away my blood that was covering me, "I don't think you've stopped bleeding, Inu Yasha." I nodded, knowing what she said was true. I yawned and looked up at the sky. Time seemed to be rushing by before my eyes. I watched as the clouds slowly but surely passed me by. It was really a nice day outside, and I wished that I could enjoy the nice weather by not being so weak. But, hell, it was no used to get worked up about something I couldin't change, so I just laid there, thinking. "Are you hungry?" Sango asked me. I shook my head, "no, not really... Are you?" She nodded, sighing. "Why don't you catch some fish or something, Sango San?" She laughed, "I'll be fine." I reached up to where the cuts in my neck were, touching them. Sango quickly slapped my hand away from the wounds, "they'll worsen if you touch them, Inu Yasha." I sighed, and licked the blood off of my hand. "Eew!" Sango said, watching me lick the blood, "don't do that!" I laughed, "why? It's good." Sango gagged, "only a demon could say that." I laughed, "are you insulting me?" She shook her head, "no, of course not, Inu Yasha." I sighed, and continued to rub my neck. "It really hurts," I said, wincing. Sango inspected my neck, and shivered. "Are you sure he didn't have poison talons?" It had never occured that Kyozame could have poisonous talons... I shivered at the thought. "I'm not sure, to be honest," I said in a worried voice. Sango looked worried as well, "because you're a hanyou, you won't be able to tell if it's poison, and it'll eventually leave your body." I sighed in relief, knowing that what she said was true.  
  
Later that night, I started feeling worse and worse. The sun no longer visable in the sky, and Sango had gone to get some herbs from a nearby village. I sat up and stretched, yawning loudly. 'What am I still doing here?' I asked myself, 'you should be out getting the Shikon no Tama.' Part of me reasoned, 'you can't defeat him in this condition, and once you heal, Sango will help you. With her on your side, the battle will be much easier.' I sighed, figuring that it would be a few more days before I was completely healed. A few minutes later, Sango appeared back from the villiage, but I hadn't heard her. 'That's strange,' I thought, 'maybe your sences are messed up because you're so sick.' Sango walked over to me, smiling. "Inu Yasha, I'm--" She looked at me with wide eyes, and backed up. "Who the hell are you?!" she yelled in a frightened voice. "Sango San, are you all right?" I asked, wondering what she was so worked up about. "Inu Yasha?" she asked. "Who else would I be? I'm really not feeling well, so would you mind cutting the crap?" She gasped, "what happened to you, Inu Yasha? You're human!" I gasped, having totally forgotten about the new moon, when I became human. "Oh no... Not now," I said, laying back in my 'bed'. Sango kneeled next to me, feeling my head, "you're burning up, Inu Yasha. Your human body can't take your injuries." I moaned in pain, "it hurts..." Sango looked worried, "it'll be okay, Inu Yasha. I'm here, okay? Can I get something for you?" I shook my head, and closed my eyes. I could feel beads of sweat rolling down my forehead, and my heart beating faster and faster. 'Inu Yasha, stop it. You can handle the pain, you've felt pain much greater than this many times before.' But I couldin't stop, I started breathing faster and faster, and my throat felt like it was closing up. "Inu Yasha! Daijobu desu ka*?!" Sango yelled, shaking me. I could feel myself getting weaker by the minute, and I knew that I'd lose concious soon. I smiled, "I'll be alright... Sango..."  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
I was walking through the forset, tightly grasping my mother's comforting hand. "Okaasan, where are we going?" I asked, curiosity in my voice. "I've told you many times, Inu Yasha. We are going to meet your half brother, Sessho Maru," she laughed at my forgetfulness. "You've met him, haven't you, Mother?" She nodded, rubbing my head, "of course I have. He's kind, you're sure to like him." It was a beautiful day in May; birds could be heard singing peaceful songs from miles away, and the wind playfully tossed my hair. "It's a lovely day, nee, Inu Yasha?" Mother asked, reading my mind. I nodded, "I wish that it could always be so nice out. That way we's never have to spend the whole day inside." She laughed, "yes, that would be lovely, wouldin't it?" I sighed, "summer is the best time of the year... Everything is so green and beautiful." I released my hand from my mothers, and ran around a bit. "You have a lot of energy today," Mother said. I spotted a purple butterfly resting on a flower. "Look, Okaasan! It's a butterfly!" I shouted, pointing at it. "It is, isn't it? Butterflies are so pretty with all their vibrant colors." I smiled a huge smile, "I remember that once you told me butterflies are your favorite." Mother smiled, nodding. "Your mind is like a steel trap, you never forget anything." I shook my head, "of course not!"  
  
When we finally reached my father's house, Mother knocked on the door. "Minoku, we're here!" she shouted, laughing. My father greeted us at the door, embracing my mother and hugging me. "It's so great to have you two here!" he said smiling, "come on in!" Father had a huge house, and everything was so clean and new. Decorative swords furnished the walls, and beautiful fabrics draped over the windows. "How have you been lately, Minoku?" Mother asked, sitting down on a cushioned chair. Father joined her, "I'm doing great. I plan to move back into the house with you as soon as Sessho Maru's mother agrees to let him live with her." Mother's face lit up, and she hugged my father, "really? That's great, I can't wait!" I sat down on a huge couch, grabbing a pillow. I closed my eyes, relaxing. "So, Inu Yasha, how've you been?" my father asked. "Alright," I said, looking up at my father, "I can't wait until you come home. Okaasan and I are lonely without you." I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and looked up to find a boy with long white hair walking towards us. He had amber eyes, just like mine, and many marks on his face and hands. He wore a long white kimono rimmed with exotic designes, and had what appeared to be a tail wrapped over his shoulder. He had elf like ears, long claws and sharp fangs. He must be the beloved full blood demon son of my father's... Sessho Maru. "Aa, Sessho, you're here," Father said, signaling Sessho Maru to come closer. He smiled at my mother, "Hotaru San, it's been a while." Then he turned to me, "and you must be my half brother, Inu Yasha." I nodded in a shy manor, and whispered, "it's nice to finally meet you, Sessho Maru." He laughed, "no need to be shy." I continued to look down, feeling belittled by my brother's presence. He looked at me, "why don't you come upstairs with me, and give Hotaru San and Father some privicy?" I nodded, and stood up. Sessho Maru was quite a bit taller than me, for he was also older than I. I followed him upstairs, hearing my mother say, "have fun you two!"  
  
Sessho Maru led me into a large room, lit up by huge windows that lined the walls. "Have a seat, brother," said Sessho Maru, motioning to a chair. I did as I was told, and let out a sigh. He smiled, "you resemble Father quite a bit." I nodded, "so do you." He sighed, sitting next to me, "you know, Inu Yasha, you don't have to feel unworthy near me... Just because you're a hanyou." Apparently he could smell my fear and could tell that I was ashamed to be a hanyou. I smiled, looking into his eyes, "thanks..." Maybe being Sessho Maru's brother wouldin't be so bad, after all. "To tell you the truth... I'm really envious of you, Sessho Maru, you being a youkai and all..." He placed his hand on my shoulder, "you have a wonderful family, Inu Yasha. You're loved for who you are, and that's really all that matters in the end. It doesn't really matter if you're a human, hanyou, or a youkai... As long as people accept you for who you are."  
  
(:A.N:) There, that was a long chapter to make up for all the chapter's I haven't written yet! *laugh* It's state testing this week, so I won't have any homework... PARTY! Oh yeah..  
*Daijobu desu ka: Are you all right?  
Lol it's okay if I throw in some Japanese if I translate it, right? Of course it is! See you next chapter, and PLEASE review! Arigato! -Mae- 


	20. Brother

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Hi everybody! After this chapter the story will officially be 30,000 words! Isn't that cool? Yaay! In any case, I am really having a great time writing this story and hope you have a great time reading it! Now, onto chapter twenty!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Twenty : Brother  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
When I opened my eyes, it was still very dark outside. Sango was sitting next to me with a wet cloth, of which she had been wiping my face with. I felt so dizzy and weak, that I was sure that Kyozame had poison in his talons. I stood up and tried to walk around, but my surroundings seemed to spin around me, and I fell down. Sango looked very worried, "Inu Yasha, how are you feeling?" I sighed, "bad." I hated being human more than anything; all my sences were extremely poor, and I had no means of defence. If I thought about it hard enough, I could understand why my brother hated humans so much, and why he felt that they were so inferior to him. Of course that didn't give him a good reason to hate them as much as he does. I laid down, and thought about things. I wonder why I had a dream about Sessho Maru? He used to be so kind to my mother and I, but then one day he just changed... I tried hard to recall the exact reason why he changed... And I finally figured it out: his mother.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
I was at my father's house with my mother and Sessho Maru sitting in the living area. It was a hot summer day, with no wind at all. Mother sat in a chair and fanned herself with a silk fan, while Sessho Maru and I sat around a table playing Shougi. I really didn't enjoy Shougi, because I found it to be pointless and much to slow. Sessho Maru, on the other hand, loved playing Shougi, and usually beat me. I watched as he thought hard about where to move his piece on the board. "Hurry up," I said, "this is getting boring." He sighed, "Inu Yasha, this is not a fast paced game... You know that." After he finally moved his piece, I quickly moved mine. "Inu Yasha, in the game of Shougi, your personallity reflects in the way you play. If you play as quickly as you do, it means that you always feel rushed in life and never take the time to predict what others will do. Lessons in this game can be essential for life..." I laughed, "you sound like a parent, Sessho Maru, so serious and all." He sighed, "I suppose so, but it is for your benefit."  
  
After what seemed like hours of mindless Shougi playing, a woman walked through the door with my father. She had elf-like ears, and long black hair. A long tail hung over her shoulder, and she was dressed in a light red yukata. I figured she was Sessho Maru's mother. She slowly approached us, her thick red lips curling up as she did so. "Sessho Maru, I've come to get you... You're coming to live with me for a little while..." I could smell his sorrow as the woman spoke those words, "but I'd rather stay with Father." The woman grew angry, and grabbed Sessho Maru's arm, prying him off the ground. He quickly countered by sinking his poison talons into the woman's arm, making her yelp out in pain, and release her grasp. My mother seemed to feel sorry for Sessho Maru, and said, "Excuse me... Setsuko? That is your name, correct? Maybe you should let the boy be, and let him think over your decision. After all, it is his life..." Setsuko aproached my mother and grabbed her by her neck, "silence, human. This has not to do with you." I began to growl at the woman, and pulled her off my mother. She grabbed me, "you damn hanyou, stay out of this!" My father quickly came over and slapped Setsuko. "Stop it, Setsuko. You've come here to claim your son and nothing else. What good will it do by attacking my bride and son?" Setsuko let out a quiet growl, "fine, then, Minoku. We shall be going. Come, Sessho Maru." Sessho Maru slowly followed his mother, sorrow building up in him. Before he left, I whispered in his ear, "I'll see you again, Brother." He smiled at this, and nodded. "Goodbye Father, Hotaru San, and Inu Yasha. See you again soon." We all waved as he was pulled out the door by Setsuko. I ran over to my father, "Otosan, why did you let that crazy woman take Sessho Maru?" He sighed, "you're too young to understand..." And that was the last time I had ever seen a kind and happy Sessho Maru.  
  
~*End of Flashback*~  
  
The sun was slowly rising, and I sighed in relief. I wanted to continue hunting down Kyozame today, no matter what Sango said. "Later today," I said, "we are going to find Kyozame. I am tired of waiting." She sighed, knowing that she was not going to win the arguement, "fine... But you have to be sure to rest every so often." I agreed, figuring that it was better than not going at all. I could slowly feel my demon powers returning; my sences  
of smell and hearing got better. I watched Sango watch as I transformed back into a hanyou, with amazement in her eyes. "How cool..." she said, as my ears perched on top of my head and my hair grew white. I sighed, "you think so?" She nodded, grabbing one of my now normal ears. "I wish I had ears like you, Inu Yasha," she said, smiling. I sighed, "sure." After my transformation was complete, I layed down, resting before our journey continued. 'Kyozame,' I thought to myself, 'I'm gonna kill you.'  
  
(:A.N:) Sorry that I haven't published a chapter in so long, but I've been busy and had writers block ^ ^ I am going to Japan tomorrow for a few days, so I figured that it'd be good to get this chapter published before I leave. Maybe chapter twenty-one will be up before I leave, but I doubt it. So please bear with me, and be happy that I'm going home for a few days! Thanks for reading and please review! -Mae- 


	21. Warning

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Hiya everyone, I am sorry if that last chapter seemed short, I was in a hurry because I had to go to school. Anyways, I figure I'll squeeze in one more chapter before I leave tomorrow, just 'cause I'm nice. Anyways, I hope you enjoy chapter twenty-one, and after this chapter the story really will be over 30,000 words long! Yaay!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Tewnty-One : Warning  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
Later that day, Sango and I prepaired for our journey to find Kyozame. The day was hot, and the humidity made my hair stick to my forehead and neck. Sango was busy running around, trying to get last minute things for our trip. She had a large bag full of all sorts of things; clothes, money, foods, and healing herbs. "Oi, Sango San, hurry up," I said, tired of waiting. "Sorry, I'll be done in just a few minutes, I promise," the girl said, running around like a mouse whose tail was on fire. I walked over to a nearby tree, and leaned back on it. My wounds were basically healed, but they still hurt quite a bit. I still had scars on my neck from Kyozame's claws, and the gash across my chest had not healed completely. Still, I wasn't about to let that stop me from getting back the Shikon no Tama, which was rightfully mine, no matter what anyone said. After all, I had gone through quite some trouble to get it, and Kyozame didn't do shit to get it. I sighed, deciding it was best not to worry about those things at the given moment. Sango finally approached me with a smile on her face. "Sorry it took so long, let's go, Inu Yasha."  
  
We began to travel East, which was the direction where Kyozame was origionally travelling and where his scent was the strongest. I had no idea where he would be, so I kept my eyes open for any sign of him. Sango was her optomistic self as usual, smiling as we walked and humming mindless melodies to herself. "So, Inu Yasha... What are you going to do after we kill Kyozame?" she asked. "I'm not sure... I suppose... I'll just live life as it comes. I don't like having things to do all the time... I like living with freedom." I didn't want to tell her about getting my revenge, about the Shikon no Tama... I really didn't want to tell her much about myself at all. I guess that I wasn't that type of person to just open up to someone I didn't know. Some people find it easier to talk to people that they hardly know... But that wasn't how I was. Living in such a judgemental world, I sometimes found it hard to trust anyone, except for my close friends and family... "That's good... I'm actually a bit envious, lot's of people would do anything to live a life of freedom. But I've decided to stay a taijiya, because most people in my family are... It's sort of a tradition..." I nodded, "that's cool. I don't have much of a family left, though." I really didn't mean to say what I did, but the words just sort of leaked out of me. Of course it was true, but I didn't need anyone else to feel sympathedic towards me, especially a woman. "I'm sorry, Inu Yasha. I didn--" I cut her off, "don't worry about it, it's nothing. Just forget I ever said that..." I mentally slapped myself for seemingly over reacting, another thing I did not intend to do. I decided that since words weren't coming out of my mouth right, I would stay quiet for a little while.  
  
Our journey continued in silence for quite a while, and we just walked and enjoyed the scenery. An occasional comment would come from our mouths sometimes, but other than that, the only sound to be heard was the wind rustling leaves on trees. The sky was glowing a bright orange tint as the sun slowly set, making darkness envelope the scenery. Sango let out a muffled yawn, trying to hide it from me. "Tired?" I asked. Sango shook her head, "no, of course not. The sun is just starting to set." I sighed, "whatever you say. I could of sworn I heard you yawn." Just as I said that, another yawn escaped her mouth, this one noticably louder. I laughed at the human girl, and she whapped me on the arm. "Ouch, that realllly hurt, Sango San!" I said, mockingly. This time she punched me in the chest right where my wound was, making me wince in pain, "hey! That's where my wound is!" She scratched her head, "sorry, guess I forgot." It was fun arguing with Sango in a weird way, so I didn't give up just then. "Forgot?!" I yelled, "how could you forget?! You wouldin't even let me stand up for what seemed like forever, and now you just suddenly forgot?!" She laughed, "well, I don't know. Maybe, maybe not." I sighed, "stupid girl." She whapped me again for that, "I am not stupid, Inu Yasha!" I laughed, "I was only kidding. God, can't you even take a joke, girl?"  
  
Later that night, Sango and I found a place to rest for the night. It was on the outskirts of some old town neither of us knew. Sango pulled out a large blanket from her bag, and layed down. "Where are you going to sleep, Inu Yasha?" she asked. "In a tree somewhere..." I said, sighing. "A tree? That's not a good place to sleep." she said, lecturing me. "Well it's a fine place to sleep for me, so get over it," I said with a hint of anger in my voice. "Okay, you're right. Sorry." I sighed and went up high into a nearby tree. "Oyasumi, Inu Yasha!" Sango called from the ground. "Oyasumi," I said to the girl, not quite as enthusiastically as she had said it to me. I closed my eyes and was fast asleep.  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
I awoke to find a strange place that I had never seen before. I was alone, but yet I felt as if someone where close to me. A large lake was in front of me, fireflies flying about the surface. Some would say that this place was a lonely place, but I did not feel that way. Huge trees shot up from the ground, reaching up as high as I could see. Somehow this place seemed kind of familiar, like I had been there before, even though I knew I hadn't. I decided to venture into the forest, not knowing what else to do. The forest was so rich and full of life, and the scent was overpowering yet gentle. Every so often I would pass a human wandering around the area, but it was as if thay couldin't see me, and they paid me no attention. I finally reached an area that stood out to me; a large tree with vines creeping up the surface. I slowly walked around the tree, fearing that I would see something. I finally noticed something odd about the tree; there was a demon pinned to it. One that looked, and smelled, exactly like me. I shivered at the sight. He had an arrow stuck in his chest, which concealed some kind of magical power. I approached the 'me' pinned onto the tree, and placed my hand on his shoulder. His eyes slowly opened, revealing an anger filled glare. "Kikyo..." he growled, not looking at me. "Of course I'm not Kikyo, stupid. You mistake me for that wench?" He looked at me with a very confused expression, "you're me... Aren't you?" I nodded, "yeah, I think I am. Name's Inu Yasha." He sighed, "same. You're me as a little kid, huh?" I growled, "I am NOT a little kid! So don't call me one!" He laughed, an almost sad laugh, "yeah, you're definately me. You're after the Shikon no Tama, aren't you?" I nodded, "yeah, to get revenge for Mother's death." He sighed, "It's worthless. If you don't turn back, that wench, Kikyo, she'll   
put you under the enchantment that I'm under right now. It's not worth it." I shook my head, "you're wrong, Inu Yasha. It is worth it, because I promised her I would." He laughed, "you're not noble, don't act like it. Someday you'll figure out that it's not worth it, not at all. Aww, hell, you won't listen to me. You don't listen to anyone." I smirked, "got that right. And I won't mess up like you did. You'll see, I'm strong. I'll win, even though you couldin't." He nodded, "sure, kid. It's you're life, so screw it up as bad as you want. But don't say I didn't warn ya."  
  
(:A.N:) There, this chapter was a little longer than usual. I hope you didn't think the dream was weird or anything, I actually think it's kinda cool in a way. Oh well. I'll write more when I return. In the mean time, I have a new fic, 'And They Say it Was My Fault,' and I think you'll like it. It's about Inu Yasha's reaction to Kagome's death. ^ ^ well, I'm no good at summaries, but I'm sure you'll like it if you enjoy this story. Thank you for reading and please please please review!! -Mae- 


	22. Blurred

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) I'm back from my trip to Tokyo! Well, not to say that that's a good thing, but at least I can work some more on my beloved fanfic(s). I had a great time on my trip, staying up late eating Pocky (the almond kind is my favorite) watching Haibane Ranmei (My favorite anime alone with NieA_7 and Inu Yasha) and chatting with my friends. It was really nice to see my family, so I'm in a good mood (I'm going back in about three weeks, for easter break) and am hopefully going to add a good chapter to this story tonight! Well, enough with my nonsense, onto the story!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Twenty-Two : Blurred  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
I sat up, with both terror and confusement in my eyes. Was my dream real? Was that really me in the future? I wiped the precipitation from my forehead, sighing. I had been having such odd visions in my dreams, it was scary. It was like my visions at night were reality, and that my hours awake were a dream, everything was blurred. I looked down at Sango sleeping peacefully at the base of the tree I was in, a small smile was on her face. I turned and cracked my back, groaning in relief. I swiftly jumped down to the forest floor, landing gracefully on my feet. I walked about, impatiently waiting for Sango to wake up. 'This isn' the time to sleep,' I thought to myself, 'we need to find Kyozame and I need to get back the Shikon no Tama...' I coughed loudly, hoping to stir the sleeping girl. She shifted onto her opposite side, not opening her eyes. I sighed, and decided to try poking her, instead. I kneeled closely at Sango's side, and poked her side gently. This didn't seem to effect her at all, so I continued poking her harder and harder until she hit me with her arm while she was rolling over and I fell over the girl, my arms holding me above her body. My face turned bright red, and I tried to sit back up without Sango noticing. Unfortunately, her eyes shot open and she let out a shrill scream. I covered her mouth, "shut up girl! It's not what it seems like!" She blinked, rubbind the sleep out of her eyes, "oh, it's just you, Inu Yasha. I thought that someone was trying to attack me or something. But what were you doing on your hands and knees above me? (A.N: He was arched above her, not actually on top of her ^ ^;; Remember, this is not a romance fic.)" My face became hot and red, " I was... waking you up. Or at least trying to. Don't get any weird ideas, girl." She giggled, "well, you prevailed. I am wide awake now, thanks to you." I sighed, "that's enough, now hurry up and get ready, we've got a demon to kill." She nodded, and got ready for the day.  
  
We continued our journey later that day, after I managed to drag Sango away from our camping spot. She continued to complain that she was tired for a long time, until she figured out that I wasn't going to stop for her to rest no matter how much she whined and begged. "You just woke up, wench," I argued, dragging her down the path by her arm. She whimpered, but allowed me to drag her. The sky was a light shade of gray, and the air smelled of rain and was heavy and foggy. Not the most refreshing day in the world, but it could've been worse. Black crows were flying high in the sky, cawing as they flew. I could scence that Kyozame was near; the atmosphere was telling me. A chilly breeze blew through the forest, sending chills down my spine. "Do you feel it?" I asked Sango, "Kyozame is near." She nodded, and we quickly continued through the forest, me no longer having to pull the girl. Eventually, about a mile down the path, I caught Kyozame's scent. He had a very destinctive smell about him; he smelled of death, blood, fear, and anger. His scent made me sick, it made me want to kill him even more than I already wanted to. I slowly extended my claws, and let out a low growl. Sango grabbed my arm, "calm down, Inu Yasha. We'll get to him, but don't strain yourself." I ignored the girl's advise and continued down the path in my current state, the trees rushing past me in a blur.  
  
We eventually reached a large castle which reeked of Kyozame's scent. The lot was run down and in shabby condition. Dried out plants spread out around the area, and parts of the land even apeared to be flooded. I grabbed Sango's arm and pulled her up to the enterance of the building, and tried to open the door. It was locked, so I kicked the door as hard as I could and it swung open. The interior of the building was definately a lot nicer than the exterior, foreign art and sculptures decorated the castle, and large chandelears of candles hung from the ceiling. The inside was dimly lit, becuase of the small amount of light the candles omitted, the cloudy skies outside, and the fact that all the windows had thick cloth curtains draping them. A strong exotic insence made me feel lightheaded, as its scent loomed throughout the hallways. I could hear the faint sound of people coming from the room opposite of where I was, down the hall, so I ventured towards the door. Many ropes hung from the ceiling, making the hallway look like a shrine. A large circular mirror hung on the wall to the side of the doorway, making the area appear bigger. I carefully and slowly slid the door open, to reveal a large room full of kimonos and fancy folding screens painted with expensive inks. Old Chinese scriptures hung from the walls, accenting the room. I saw the outline of a figure behind a nearby floding screen, so I cautiously looked behind it.   
  
Kyozame sat there, with his legs crossed and his eyes closed. He looked different than he did when I last saw him, his muscles were larger and he had stripes and other demonic markings decorating his skin. He knew I was there, I knew it, but he was going to attack when I wasn't looking. I pulled the sword from it's sheath at my side, and held it close to Kyozame's neck. He slowly opened his now bloodshot red eyes and looked into mine. "Inu Yasha, you're still alive? What a surprise? Oh, and look! You've brought me a human girl to kill, as well. How generous of you, I'll be sure to give you a proper burial." I slashed at his neck, but it didn't seem to hurt him... at all. "You're all talk, Kyozame. You're dead this time, and I won't go easy on you. Prepair to die!"  
  
(:A.N:) I'm sorry if this chapter seemed short and uneventful, but I had a long flight and would like to go to bed. I'll post another chapter tomorrow afternoon after school, so fear not! Thank's for reading this chapter and PLEASE REVIEW! -Mae- 


	23. Relief

(:Disclaimer:) I don't own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Hiya everyone! I have the link to this story's homepage in my ff.net profile, so check it out! ( I need to update it, but oh well, I'm gettin' to it!) Anyways, this story is gonna be a lot longer than I first expected... Which I am happy about! It takes a lot of inspiration for me to write long stories, and I have a lot of it! Now, on to chapter 23!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Twenty-Three : Relief  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
"You're all talk, Kyozame. You're dead this time, and I won't go easy on you. Prepair to die!" I screamed, gashing his arm with my sword. He still was missing his chest plate, so it would be easier for me to attack him. Sango had her long hair tied back with a cloth, with her 'hiraikotsu' withdrawn. She rushed towards Kyozame while he was facing me, and hit him very hard with her boomerang, making him lose his air momentarily. He gasped for breath, but quickly stood up and took a swing towards Sango, but I jumped in front of his talons, knowing that Sango couldin't take the blow. "Inu Yasha! Are you all right?!" Sango yelled, as I clenched the new gash on my chest. I nodded, and swung my sword at Kyozame's leg, feeling blade hit bone. Kyozame let out a loud scream, clutching his leg as it bled madly through his armor. "You think... That that can stop me? That little cut?" he laughed, pointing at his already healing wound. I gasped at how quickly this flesh was regenerating, figuring that it was because of the Shikon no Tama. Sango gasped as well, and I could smell great fear overwhelming her body. So far the battle was looking pretty bad on our side; I was already wounded and Sango was terrified of Kyozame. I sighed, "this sucks." I quickly swung at Kyozame again, this time taking off his left hand with ease. Sango and Kyozame both let out screams at the same time; Kyozame's of sheer pain and Sango's of disgust and terror. Kyozame looked at me with pure anger and quickly grabbed me by my neck, slamming me into a wall and digging his claws into my chest. I screamed as his claws broke my flesh and inserted deep into my skin. Sango quickly stopped Kyozame from continuing by knocking him over with Hiraikotsu. I fell to the ground, screaming and clutching my burning bloody chest. "Inu Yasha!" Sango yelled, as tears could be smelled forming in her eyes, "hang in there! You can't just give up so easily!" Kyozame laughed, "yeah, Inu Yasha. The human girl needs you." I let out an angry growl and stood up, not going to take any more of Kyozame's insults.  
  
I quickly swung at Kyozame's chest, making him fall over. I then raised the sword high in the air, and stabbed him through the heart as hard as I could, making him scream in pain. I gashed his chest over and over again with the sword, until I stuck my hand in his chest and ripped out his heart, throwing it down next to him. Kyozame continued to scream, until I stabbed him through the neck, and his eyes rolled back in his skull. Sango screamed as I did this, terrified at the sight in front of her, and passed out in fear. I sighed, figuring that I should get the Shikon no Tama from inside his body. I pulled up Kyozame's sleeve and saw where the jewel was still bulging out of his skin. I dug my claws under the jewel and tore it up from his body. Although it was covered in blood, the jewel still shone with a bright light, and I could still feel power coming from it. I sighed in relief, because I finally had it back. I allowed myself to drop to the ground in pain, and shut my eyes slowly.  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
"Inu Yasha... If you are to live, you must return the Shikon no Tama to me..." a familiar voice rung through the air, her words spoken in clarity and anger. I opened up my eyes slowly to find a familiar villiage, with a familiar girl standing in front of me. Kikyo. "I don't care if I live or not, Kikyo. You know that. My only purpose in life is to seek revenge and then I don't care what happens to me, truly I don't," I explained, guilt building up inside me. "That's not true, Inu Yasha. Don't you want to grow up and be happy? Who knows, you may even find love someday," she cooed in her melancholy voice. "Keh, I could care less if I found love, I really could. I really don't care if I am happy either, I mean, whats the point?" She sighed, "Inu Yasha, if you do not return the jewel to me, then I am afraid that I will have to take it with force." I shivered as she said those words, not knowing why. It seemed as if she were serious, like she really would kill me if I didn't give it back. Of course those were not her words, but I knew that that's what she meant, that she would kill me if I didn't return the Shikon no Tama to her. I shook my head, "no, I am not giving it up, Kikyo, I'm sorry. I just know that I need it, and what I am going to do with the jewel is not wrong..." Kikyo flung herself at me, grasping my kimono, "please, Inu Yasha, for me. I know that your mother would not want you to ruin your life just for revenge. In fact, I am sure of it. If you use the jewel, then your mind and body... You won't be able to control them anymore. The jewel will take over you, and you won't be aware of anything. You'll forget all the feelings that you ever felt, you'll forget love, and hope, and happiness." I pushed the girl off me, "how the hell would you know what my mother would want for me? You didn't even know her, dammit! So you have no right in saying what she would or would not want for me!" She smiled a sad, beautiful smile, "you're right, I'm sorry. Sometimes I just say things without thinking, you know?" I scowled, "yeah, whatever. Just don't you dare get in my way of revenge, Kikyo, I'm warning you." She sighed, "so you're still going to use it? Even after I pleaded over and over again? Don't you value our friendship, Inu Yasha?" I crossed my arms, "yes, I value our frienship, and yes, I am still going to use the jewel. And there's nothing you can do to stop me."  
  
(A.N) Hi again. I'm sorry if my recent chapters seem kind of short, but I am suffering from writers block! In the mean time, please check out this story's *crappy* web page (located in my ff.net profile)! Uum, please review and I'll continue writing this story quicker, okay? Thank you for reading and please review! -Mae- 


	24. Stained

(Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(A.N) Hi, everyone. I'm sad because I haven't been getting very many reviews lately *cries* But, I guess that's okay, because I will eventually. I think I'm going to add some more onto my other stories soon, because I feel like I'm giving this story to much time and neglecting my other fics. ^ ^ Of course fics can't think so they won't notice, now will they? Lol oh well. Now onto chapter twenty-four! (gosh, already 24 chapters!)  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Twenty-Four : Stained  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
I awoke to find Sango kneeling over my body, tears in her eyes. My eyelids felt heavy, and I felt like I had been sleeping forever. I could smell blood, and lots of it. Kyozame's blood; his impure, demonic, hatered filled blood. The scent reeked and made me feel dizzy and lightheaded. "Inu Yasha, you're all right. I'm so glad, I didn't think you were going to wake up!" I sighed, and slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "Me, dying? Do you really have such little faith in me, Sango?" I asked, stretching my arms high in the sky. "Of course I have faith in you, Inu Yasha, but you just recovered from your previous wounds a few days ago. Say, speaking of your wounds, how are your new ones doing...?" I looked down at my chest that was covered with blood, and my torn kimono. I slipped my top down and looked at my chest, expecting to see many deep wounds... To discover that all my wounds were healed, without a trace of ever being there. Then my hands traveled up to my neck, to find that it was healed as well. It was so strange for my wounds to be healed so quickly, even if I was a full blood demon they wouldin't have healed so soon. I gasped, realizing that my wounds were healed by the power of the Shikon no Tama. I had heard rumors of it giving the person who carried it the power to almost immediately heal. I guessed that that was why Kyozame had healed so quickly whenever I punctured his skin. Sango gasped, noticing my healed wounds. "How..." she asked, astonishment in her voice. I shrugged, pretending not to know the meaning. I slowly stood up, and walked over to Kyozame's corpse. My sword was still stuck in his chest cavity, so I pulled it out of his body, laughing a quiet laugh. I lifted the sword to my face, and inspected it. Kyozame's blood stained the steel blade, dripping down onto the floor. I licked some of the blood off the sword, now laughing freely. "Sayonara," I said.  
  
Later that day, Sango and I sat munching on some food she had purchased at a nearby villiage. She let out a sigh, "I'm so glad that Kyozame is gone, now many people can rest in peace knowing that they will no longer be harmed by him." I nodded, "yeah, I'm sure lots of people will be happier not that he's dead." I mentally laughed inside, 'yeah, espically me, now that I have the Shikon no Tama.' Somehow I felt that having the sacred jewel in my posession made me change in personality. They said that all that ever came from the jewel was evil, anger, and hatered... and maybe they were right. Maybe if you had the jewel you became so obsessed with it that it took over your body, without it even being inside of you. I sighed, 'don't worry about it, Inu Yasha. It's better now that you have the jewel back, now you can get your revenge... finally.' Sango poked my side, "Inu Yasha, what's wrong? You're quiet, and don't seem to be yourself today." I smiled, "don't worry about it, I'm just a little tired, that's all. I'll be fine tomorrow." Of course I wasn't lying... completely. I was rather tired even though I had passed out earlier. But also fear was growing little by little inside me, as I wondered about what was going to happen to me now that I had the jewel in my posession. I knew that if I used it, I wouldin't be myself any longer... But I really didn't care very much. In my heart I knew that I didn't have much of a future ahead of me... I didn't have a place to go or people to stay with... I hardly had any friends, and my family didn't like me. Some people were just made to be eternally alone, and I didn't mind being one. People were ofter afraid of being left alone, but what was there to be afraid of? As long as people were aware of themselves, then they were never truly alone.   
  
Sango smiled, "yeah, I'm sure that's it... that you're just tired. I'm a little tired myself." I sighed, "you didn't get any wounds from the battle, did you?" She shook her head, "nope, thanks to you." Oh how I hated to be praised, hated to be thanked. I could never stand it when people would show concern for me, or complement me, or anything of the sort; I just wasn't used to it. "Uuh... You're welcome," I said, slowly. I layed down in the grass, and looked up at the sky. It was a deep blue color, so pure that it looked unreal. Birds were flying through the air in large groups, flapping their wings in rythm. A slight breeze blew through the air, just enough to keep everyone cool from the hot sun. My mother would always love days like this, with perfect weather, a slight breeze, and birds. On days like this, she would take me out for long walks, packing a lunch so we wouldin't have to return home to eat. We would leave early in the morning and not return until the sun was setting; it was really fun. I missed times like those, times that I spent with her. Ever since she died, I felt that a part of my soul was missing... The best part of my soul. "Sooo..." Sango said, "now that Kyozame is gone, what do you suppose we'll do?" I kept my eyes staring up at the blue sky, "well, I have things that I have to take care of alone..." She sighed, "so you have to leave?" I nodded, "yes, but I'll come to visit you sometimes, okay? I promise." She smiled, "I'm glad... I'm glad that we met, and that we're friends, too. Everyone needs friends, you know, Inu Yasha." Friends... Kikyo had said that we were friends once; until I stole the Shikon no Tama from her. Then she said she was to kill me if I didn't return it. Friends could turn on you in the blink of an eye if you didn't watch out. People's emotions towards you could change in an instant... so it was best to value friendship while it lasted. Sessho Maru was my friend, Kikyo was my friend, my father was my friend; but they all turned on me, and now I had no friends. Except for Sango, who said that we were friends. "Yeah, I know. People would be lonely without friends."  
  
(A.N) Okay, now Inu Chan has the Shikon no Tama! *hides under a blanket* Scaryyyy. Actually, Inu Yasha is pretty cute when he's full demon, in my opinion! Anyways, I'll try to post another chapter later today, okay? Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW! 


	25. Farewell

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) This is my second time writing this chapter, my computer froze and it got deleted! *cry* Oh well, I cam write it again quickly now that I know what to write. Please review after you read this chapter. Thanks.  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Twenty-Five : Farewell  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
We spent the next few days travelling to no where in perticular. I was not in a hurry to do anything, and was not in the best of moods about using the Shikon no Tama. Sango claimed to be in no hurry to return to her villiage, so we journeyed together for several days. Posessing the Shikon no Tama frightened me inside; I was afraid of what was going to happen to me when and if I used it to get my revenge. I had been warned so many times by Kikyo not to use it, and she even threatened to hunt me down if I used it against her requests. Part of me longed to seek revenge, and to make myself stronger with the superior power of the jewel, but the other part of me was strongly against using the jewel. Was revenge really worth losing my mind, body, and soul over? Revenge was such a strong thing caused by overwhelming hatered and anger... it was such a horrible thing. But yet I sought for revenge more than anything, knowing that I could die happy apon achieving it. Anger could change a person's outlook on life so easily. It could make you sad and hatefilled, it could turn you into something horrible. The Shikon no Tama forced anger into the user's soul, or at least that is what I had heard. Inside I was happy to be with Sango, knowing that I wouldin't use the Shikon no Tama while in her presence. Truthfully, I was dreading the day I was to use the jewel, I was scared. You could say that I was a coward being afraid to use it, but in truth I am sure that you would be afraid to use it as well. I often wondered how Sango would react if she knew that I had the Shikon no Tama; if she knew that I stole it from a pristess who was to purify it's demonic powers. Being a taijiya, I am sure that Sango was terrified of demons who posessed the jewel, because it made a demons power drastically increase; their power would double, maybe even triple if it was altered with the Shikon no Tama.  
  
Early one morning, I was cleaning myself at a lake that was near where Sango and I had slept the previous night. The water was cool and refreshing, just how I liked it. I washed old dried blood off of my claws and out of my hair. I sat down at the bottom of the lake, my head still sticking out of the shallow water. It was so peaceful with Sango asleep. It's not like I didn't like having her around, I did, but she was always so loud and outspoken, humming and singing constantly to herself. She was like a young child sometimes, skipping around and picking flowers everywhere she went. It's not that I really cared or anything... it's just that I envied her carelessness ways of life, how free and worry free she seemed. I used to be like that when I was young, but then I discovered that life was so much more to just being happy. Life hurt, it hurt real bad. After sitting in the lake for a while, I decided to get out and dry off. I put my kimono on (which was crumpled up under a nearby tree) and attacked my sword to my belt. Out of curiosity, I took the sword out of it's sheath and examined it. It smelled horribly of Kyozame, and it was stained with now brown dried blood. I took the sword over to the edge of the lake, and cleaned off the blade, accidentaly cutting the skin on my finger. "Damn," I said quietly to myself, as blood trickled from my finger to the ground. I put my wounded finger in my mouth and sucked up some of the blood, sighing. After all the blood was cleaned off of the blade of my sword, I dried it with the cloth of my kimono and carefully placed it back in it's sheith. I headed back to where Sango had sleapt the night before, figuring that she would be awake by now. Back at the campsite, Sango was busily rushing about collecting her things. She looked up at me, with sweat plastering her hair on her forehead, "oh, it's you, Inu Yasha. Good morning." I waved, ringing the water out of my long hair, "what's the rush?" Sango let out a quiet sigh, "I'm afriad that I need to return home, I'm sure my family is curious of my whereabouts." I nodded my head, understanding that Sango's family was probably very worried about her, "yeah, I guess it's best if you return to your town."  
  
"I'm sorry this is on such short notice, Inu Yasha, I really am. But you see, I have important matters that I need to tend to at home. I'm sure that my family will need help slaying some demons, and my little brother probably misses me terribly, along with everyone else in my village," she said, with a hint of sorrow in her voice. "Don't worry about it, Sango. I have things that I need to take care of myself," I said, assuringly. "You won't be lonely without me, will you? If you'd like you could come to my village with me, I'm sure you'd be welcomed there," she said. I shook my head, "lonely? Why would I be lonely? I'll be just fine by myself, you've no need to worry about me." She smiled, "I'm glad. You will come and visit me sometime, won't you? When you're feeling lonely, or are just bored..." I nodded, "of course I will. You said it yourself, we're friends, and friends always visit eachother." Sango gave me a quick hug, sending me into a momentary state of shock. "Oh, sorry," she said, noticing I was majorly blushing, "but I'm just glad that I'll see you again, even after I leave." I sighed, human women were really the most emotional creatures on the planet. They would be mad at you one minute and hug you the next. Hopefully someday I would understand the complex chemistry of the female, but I could really care less at the moment. Later that day, after a nice lunch of some different kinds of foods, Sango said that it was time for her to return home. "Will you be able to find your way back home alone?" I asked, hoping she didn't get lost as easily as Kikyo did. She nodded, smiling, "of course, Inu Yasha. Taijiya have to have a good sence of direction, it's in the job description." I sighed, smiling, "well, have a safe trip, and I'll see you around. Thanks for looking after me for all that time I was wounded, I don't think I'd be here if it weren't for you." Sango laughed, "it was the least I could do, I'd be a bad person if I didn't help you out back there." I nodded, "yeah, I guess so." Sango embraced me in a short friendly hug, "I'm gonna miss you, Inu Yasha. Hopefully I'll see you around." I nodded, "see you later, Sango." She giggled, and started to walk away. When she was a few yards away from me, she turned, waving, and yelled, "farewell, Inu Yasha!"  
  
(:A.N:) So, how'd you like that chapter? Inu Yasha's all alone again, with just the Shikon no Tama... how sad. Oh well, he might meet some new people along the way, you never know! (nor do I) anyways, thanks for reading and please review! REVIEWWW! -Mae- 


	26. Power

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Hello! I'm sorry I haven't written a chapter in a few days but I've been really busy! Yesterday, for my class trip, I went to Universal Studios Islands of Aventure and I had sooo much fun! It raines *poured, actually* for a good 3 hours, so my friend and I went around singing annoying loud songs. (OK, so Morning Musume's song 'Popcorn Love' isn't that annoying, but when I yell it it can be...) Anyways, I slipped and fell and I think I broke my butt! lol I know thats not possible but oh well... Also I ate a lot of sushi at a restaruant that claimed to be Japanese but was actually Chinese with a sushi bar... (The kanji on the door said 'Chinese food' but I didn't notice...) Oh well. Well, enough stupid talking and on to chapter twenty-six!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Twenty-Six : Power  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
It had been almost a week since Sango had left me, and I was back at my home again. My life seemed so different without either Kikyo, Sango, or my mother around, and I wasn't used to it. I was often restless and didn't know what to do with my time. Part of me felt very lonely, but another part of me was content and happy. My home was so lovely; the weather was always nice and the sky blue, the songs of birds always echoing in the sky. The more time I spent alone there, the more I knew why my mother had always loved it. Even after Father left us, she never wanted to leave our land and our home, even though I had suggested it many times. I was sad without Father in the house with us, his scent drifted in the air inside the house, and I could smell him everywhere. Of course my mother didn't notice his smell, for she was human, but if she were a hanyo or a demon she would have certainly wanted to move out of the house. I had lived there all my life, and I knew all the land around it like I knew the back of my hand. I used to explore the forest when I was young, and play with my few friends, but as I grew older I spent less and less time in the forest, because I was always so busy taking care of Mother and other things. It was hard living alone with my mother, for she was always weak and needed to be taken care of all the time. I couldin't leave the house for more than an hour without returning home due to my worry for my mother. She always told me not to worry about her, and to go out and have a good time, but I couldin't force myself to do it. The youkai children of my villiage would often laugh at me when they say me hurry home. 'There goes Inu Yasha running off to take care of his weak, dying, human mother! How pathedic!' they would yell at me as I headed home. I never did anything about it, though, because if my mother found out that I had been fighting with the other children she would be upset and worried, and I didn't want that.  
  
I sat down in front of my fireplace, my knees scrunched up to my chest. I had lit a fire, even though it wasn't perticularly cold outside. The sound of rain echoed in my ears from outside as if poued from the sky in sheets. It was a dreary night, one that I did not like to be by myslef on. If I were younger, and my mother were still alive, I would of been cuddling up next to her in her bed, covering my ears as thunder rolled from the sky. But since I was older now, and my mother was dead, I simply sat down in front of a dimming fire, rocking back and forth all by myself. My mother had once told me that if you rocked back and forth in slow, short movements, it meant that you were feeling scared and unaware of what to do. She said that unborn children sway back and forth inside their mothers before they are born, and that is why you do it when you're scared, because it's natural. I spent a lot of that night thinking about what I was going to do next with my life, if I was going to use the Shikon no Tama or not, and if I had it in me to kill my father. I knew that it was a horrible sin to kill your parents, espicially your father. Fathers took pride in having a son, and it was said to be a blessing if you had a son. But then again, my father had often shunned down on me and hated me because I was only half a demon, meaning half power. Power... That's what all demons wanted. They would die for power, give their souls for power, do anything for power. It was sick, really, wasting your life to earn respect from strangers because you had killed more people then they had, and had forced more humans around then the other youkai. Sometimes when my father had friends over and my mother was gone, I would hear he and his friends bragging about all the 'great' things they had done. They'd say things like 'I killed an army of human soldiers travelling to a kingdom somewhere' or 'I slaid a human woman earlier because she would not move out of my way.' U would often wonder about the meaning of killing people, and why it brough demons so much joy. They all had a passion for killing things, and bragged about it all the time. I suddenly understood why my mother never wanted me to kill; she didn't want me to sink down to the other demon's level. She didn't want me to take pride in something as horrible as killing. And personally, I didn't want to take pride in something as horrible as that, either.  
  
Later that night, I laid down in my mother's old bed. I could hear rain pounding down on my roof, even leaking in the house at times. A small candle was the only thing ommiting light, and it was sitting about a yard away from me. No stars were visable in the sky, and the moons light was very little. It was a lonely night for me, and a worrysome one at that. I stared at the Shikon no Tama that was laid down a few feet away from me. It's creamy pinkish color shined through the dark night, sending off magical and powerful vibes. The jewel still smelled of Kyozame, and a bunch of other demons that I did not know. It also smelled faintly of Kikyo... I rolled over onto my stomach, yawning. I slowly closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift off into sleep.  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
"Wake up, Inu Yasha, or you'll be late with meeting your friends... It's a lovely day..." a sweet, gentle voice drifted into my ears, gently easing me from my sleep. I could hear the faint creaking of an old rocking chair tilting back and forth. I slowly opened my eyes, blinded by the morning sun. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and looked behind me to see my mother sitting in her old rocking chair, peacefully humming a soft tune to herself. "Good morning, sleepy head. I see you're finally up. I've been calling you for several minutes now." I nodded, and slowly stood up, "I'm sorry, I had a long day yesterday. How are you feeling today, Okaasan?" She smiled her lovely sorrowful smile, "I'm fine. Promise me you won't ruin your day with your friends by worrying about me, okay? I can manage a day alone by myself." I sighed, "alright, Okaasan, I won't worry. I'll only be out for a few hours, anyways." She laughed, "you're like an adult, Inu Yasha, worrying constantly about things you can't change. I want you to have fun, and enjoy being young." I nodded, "yeah, okay. Well, I'm going to get ready now, okay?" She smiled, stood up and walked out of the room.  
  
Later that day, I heard a knocking at the door. I quickly walked over, knowing it was my friends. I opened the door slowly, not wanting to wake my mother who was sleeping in the corner. My friends Yozora and Kazuhiko stood in the doorway, smiling. They were both full blood demons, their parents being friends with my father. Yozora was 9, and Kazuhiko was the same age as me, 10. "Hey Inu Yasha, what's up?" Kazuhiko asked. "Ah, nothing much. What're we gonna do today, anyways?" I asked. "I don't know. Maybe we can go hang out around the village or something," Yozora said, sighing. Personally I hated going to the village, I hated how other people treated me there. Nevertheless, I nonchalantly agreed, not wanting to seem weird. Kazuhiko pointed to my mother sleeping in the corner. "Who's that?" he asked. "My... Okaasan..." I said, afraid of what they would say to me. Yozora sniffed the air, "but, she's human. You're a youkai, aren't you, Inu Yasha?" I shook my head slowly, "no... I'm a hanyo." Kazuhiko and Yozora snickered in unison. "Hanyo? A hanyo? How pathedic!" Kazuhiko laughed. I let out a small growl, clenching my fists. "You shut up. Both of you," I said, snarling. "What're you gonna do, hanyo?" Yozora asked, mockingly. I slowly shut the door to my house, making me stand outside next to my two 'friends'. I outstretched my claws, feeling then digging into the skin on my hands. "Hanyo!" the two chanted, over and over again. Not being able to control my anger anymore, I grabbed both the boys by the necks, Kazuhiko's neck in my right fist, and Yozora in my left. I let my claws dig into their skin a little bit, making the boys wince in pain. "Never, and I mean never, insult me again. Or you both shall die." I let them go, watching them hurriedly run away. I never saw either of them again.  
  
(:A.N:) That chapter was a little longer then usual, so I'm happy! Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW! Please? Please? Pleaseeeeeeee? Arigato! -Mae- 


	27. Silence

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Okay, now we're on chapter twenty-seven! I think after this chapter my story will be 40,000 words long! How cool! I'm sooo happy! Anyways, I really don't know how to continue this story, and I have hardly been getting any reviews lately! So, if you read this, please take the 30 seconds it takes to leave a review! Thanks! And now, onto chapter twenty-seven!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Twenty-Seven : Silence  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
The next day was boring. Time seemed like it was standing still. I had no one to talk to, nothing to do, except sit and wait for something to happen. I sat outside leaning on the tree thats branches extended over my mother's grave. A gentle breeze blew leaves from the tree, making them cover the ground like snow. I was content, somehow. I felt safe around my mother's grave, like she was protecting me. I sighed, and folded my hands behind my head. I looked up at the blue sky as the clouds moved slowly above my head. I slowly reached into my pocket, and grabbed the Shikon no   
Tama, looking at it with hungerfilled eyes. I pressed my hands very tightly around it, feeling power growing inside me even by just touching it. It truly was a magical and mystical jewel. I doubted that anyone knew it's true power, not even Kikyo or other shrine masters that had had it in their posession. When I was little, I often heard demons in the villiage talking about the jewel, and the power it posessed. I had heard stories of the blood that had been shed in trying to gain posession of it. All the anger and hate it caused. It was a horrible thing, but yet so great and powerful. I was so lucky to have the jewel, so fortunate. Even if I didn't use it, I could still make a good fortune by pawning it off. Of course, a demon would probably just steal it from me before they would ever buy it, but maybe I could make money. I continued thinking about stupid things for quite some time. Things like how much money I could get for the jewel, what I would look like as a full demon, and how others would look at me if I was a full demon. Would they fear me? Envy me? Hate me? I had no idea. I knew that there would be jealousy, and demons would try to kill me to get the jewel. But I really didn't care too much. It was worth it. My mother was worth it. I looked at her grave with sorrow in my eyes. It seemed like just yesterday she was in this very garden with me, sitting under this very tree. She loved to be outside with me, and hated being cooped up inside. Even when she was sick and immobile, she would still request that I carried her outside, and I would. I remembered that beautiful, yet sorrowful smile she would often give me. She looked content, but yet like she was hurting inside. I knew she was hurting inside, too. I could smell it, I could sence it. I felt so sorry for her, and I wanted to help her so badly, but I didn't. I couldin't. She was sick beyond medical help. There was no hope for her recovery.  
  
~*Flashback*~  
  
I was sitting under a large tree near my house. It's wide branches and plentiful leaves shaded me from the hot summer sun. My mother was sitting next to me, her eyes closed. Sweat was running down her pale skin, and her lips were tightly closed. She was wearing a light summer yukata with her geta sandals sitting next to her. I could tell that she was in pain, and I knew that she was very sick. "Okaasan, are you alright?" I asked. "Yes, of course," she said, assuringly. I sighed, she always lied to me about how she felt. She never would tell me how she truly felt, she didn't want for me to worry any more than I already was. She began to hum a melancholy melody under her breath, a lullabye that she had sung to me when I was a child. I slightly smiled upon recognizing the tune and laid my head in Mother's lap, closing my eyes. I knew that she did not have much longer to live, as did she. I wanted more than anything to enjoy her last few months of life. I wished that she could live longer, I wished so hard. But I knew inside that she was not, that she was in fact dying, and that it would cause her a lot of pain to try to keep her alive any longer than she had to. Oh, how I hated seeing Mother in pain. She would whimper silently under her breath, and I tears could be smelled faintly. Of course she would always try to hide pain from me. When she was in a lot of pain, she would send me off on errands so I would not see her suffer. I would always stay close to the house, though, in case something very serious happened. Luckily nothing very serious and life threatening had happened thus far, but I knew to be cautious. I was always cautious around Mother. She was very weak and fragile, espicially lately since her condition had greatly increased. "Oh, Inu Yasha," Mother started, "It's a lovely day, isn't it, Inu Yasha? Yes, it's a lovely day. It really truly is." I smiled, "Yes, of course it is, Okaasan." When I woke up in the morning, Mother would always be rocking gently in her rocking chair. When she saw that my eyes were beginning to open, she would say ever-so-sweetly, 'Wake up, Inu Yasha. It's a lovely day.' And yes, it always was a lovely day. A lovely day with my Okaasan, now and forever.  
  
~*End of Flashback*~  
  
I slowly stood up and walked into my house. It was so quiet, so desolate all by myself. There was really nothing for me to do all by myself. I used to like to play games with Mother and Father, but now neither of them were here, and there was nothing fun that I could play by myself. I walked into my kitchen, the scent of my mother overpowering me. Like most wives, she spent a lot of her time prepairing food in the kitchen, so the area was filled with her sweet scent. Her scent that I had missed so much. I sat down at the small table in my kitchen, and layed down my head, resting my eyes. I rolled my claws on the table, making a repeated clicking noise over and over, to make noise in the overly quiet house. I hated silence, hated it very much. I hated it to the point where it drove me crazy. There was too much silence in my life, too much painful dreaded silence. How I wanted to scream and break the silence, how I wanted to banish it from the world all together. I abruptly stood up and stepped outside my house again, wanting to hear something, anything. Once I was outside, I heard a slight noise coming from not too far off, and I smelled a very familiar, strong scent. I decided to trace down the scent, having nothing better to do and being very curious. About one hundred yards from my house, I stopped dead in my tracks. In front of me stood a very familiar figure with reddish pinstripes, a crescent moon on his forehead, and glimmering white hair. My half brother, Sessho Maru.  
  
(:A.N:) Ooooh CLIFFIE! Mae Chan is EVIL! *insane laugh* This chapter was really hard (and boring) for me to write. Luckily Sessho will be in the next chapter so I'll be more inspired (God knows I love Sessho Maru Samaaa!) so the next installment will be better and more exciting! Well, stay tuned for the next episode of Inu Yasha : Haunting Me in Dreams! lol I've always wanted to say that! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! I HAVE ONLY GOTTEN LIKE 2 IN THE PAST 5 DAYSSSS! ok, glad to get that out of my system. Review, and ja matane! -Mae- 


	28. Mysterious

(:Dicclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Hello, Mae Chan here. Um, I didn't exactly reach 40,000 words last chapter, but I will after this chapter! Waii! I also changed the summary around, so maybe more people will want to read my story! *croses fingers* Well, anyways, onto chapter twenty-eight!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Twenty-Eight : Mysterious  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
My brother stood in front of me, his face expressionless and his intent a strong one. "Sessho Maru, what are you doing here?" I asked. I had no clue if he came to fight me, try to kill me... "I've come to visit you." Or visit, visiting was always a possibility. "Really?" I said, my eyes slightly lighting up. He nodded, a suttle quick nod. I was happy. Of course, it was strange for Sessho Maru to come and visit me, but I was very lonely. I didn't need an explanation, nor want one. "I'm glad," I said, smiling. "You're lonely by yourself, aren't you? Have you been alone all this time, Inu Yasha?" I nodded. I didn't want to tell him about my journey to get the Shikon no Tama; for even if he was a full blood demon, he might still seek it's power. "I haven't been very lonely, though," I said, obviously lying. "That's not true. I can tell these things, it's no use trying to hide it from me," he said in a toneless voice. I sighed, "You could always read me like a card, Sessho Maru." He let out a small laugh, smiling. "Have you been alright all by yourself? Are you eating enough? You don't look too well," he said, in a very parent like fashion. "I'm fine, I just haven't been very hungry is all." Sessho Maru was acting so kindly to me, just like he had done a year or two ago, before being taken by his mother. Maybe living with Father all the time had made him happier, maybe he was more relaxed and assured with life. It was a bit out of character for him to travel and visit me, even when we were close friends, but I didn't question his presence, not at all. I grabbed his hand, "Want to come back to my house?" He laughed, "You never change. Sure, I'll go back to your home."  
  
When we returned to my house, Sessho Maru stopped and looked at my mother's grave. "It's such a shame," he paused, "That your mother died when she did. She was very young." I nodded, sadly, "Yes, she was young. She was   
young and healthy until a couple of years ago, when she became ill so suddenly." He slowly bent down next to her grave and paid his respects. When he stood up and looked at me, I smiled, and signaled for him to enter my house. When he entered, he sighed, "Oh, Inu Yasha, this house is a mess." He pointed to all the blankets and other things spread around the ground. I laughed, not noticing that it was messy before, "I didn't notice. I guess you're right, though. Maybe I should clean it." He smiled, "You? Clean? Never." I sighed, he was right. I hated to clean. I knealed down and picked up a blanket and began to fold it, "See? I do to clean!" He sighed, "Yeah, just because I mentioned it! If I wasn't here, that blanket wouldin't have been folded until you tripped over it and broke your neck!" I laughed, "You know me all too well, Brother." After a few minutes of pretending to be interested in cleaning, I decided to stop out of sheer boredom. "So, Sessho Maru, how is Father doing?" I asked. "He's well, as usual. It's really a shame how he disowned you like that, Inu Yasha. I felt terribly for you. Even if I am mean to you sometimes, and seem hateful, you're my little brother, and I can't bare to see those kinds of things happen to you." I smiled, he was being kind to me, like he had many years ago. I loved it when he and I were good friends, because I had very few of them. After all, I was his little brother, and brothers were expected to be good friends. At least all the other brother I knew were close as could be, always playing and hanging out together. A father and his sons seen having fun together, what a wonderful sight that was to see. A sight that I used to be a part of, but no longer was I. Yes, it was sad, that it was. But somehow I had managed to somewhat overcome my lonliness as a child, and seem content. "Thank you... For your kindness," I said, looking sadly down to the ground. He put a hand on my shoulder, "Cheer up, Inu Yasha. It's pathedic to see you so down." I laughed, "Pathedic? Is that it?" He smiled, "I'm just joking, Inu Yasha. Insulting you always gets your attention; it has since you were very young." Yes, he was right. I couldin't stand to be insulted, not one little bit.  
  
Later that night, Sessho Maru and I sat around a small fire a few yards away from my mother's grave. I noticed that Sessho Maru would often look at the grave with sorrow in his eyes, like he missed her. I knew that he had cared for my mother, no matter how much he said he didn't like humans, I knew that deep down he really liked them. I could read Sessho Maru like a card some of the time, I could often tell exactly what he was thinking and why. I guess we just had that kind of brotherly bond between us, although it only showed on rare occasion. We would often get into stupid arguements about seemingly pointless things, like who was stronger and had more royal blood, who was more worthy, and so forth and so on. In truth, both Sessho Maru and I knew that he was stronger, he was full blood, and he was much more important in the world. After I told him that, he stopped tormenting me about being a half demon most of the time. I think that he pitied me more than anything, not to say that it was a good thing or anything, but it seemed to shut him up most of the time. "It's so sad," Sessho Maru said, "How Hotaru died." I growled, and mumbled, "All because of our father. All because of him, dammit. That's why she's gone." Sessho Maru looked at me, "What did you say?" I shook my head, "It's nothing for you to worry about." He sighed, "I know you're lying. You're such a mysterious person, Inu Yasha, you always have been." I smiled, "I'm mysterious because I've just never had anyone to tell things to, that's why. I'm shy, or so people tell me. Shy people are mysterious." He nodded, "Yeah, I can understand that. But I'm here, Brother. So you can tell me things if you'd like." I thought hard about telling him about my quest to kill Father, and how I had stolen the Shikon no Tama from the pristess Kikyo. I wanted to tell someone, anyone. But I knew it was safer for the both of us if I did not mention such things. After all, if demons found out I posessed it, and if they found out Sessho Maru was my half brother, God only knows what hell could break loose. "You're thinking about something. Something you won't tell me about," he said in a monotonious voice. "No, I'm not..." I said, my voice slightly trembling. "Tell me," He pried. "No... It's nothing," I insisted. He snarled, "Tell me, dammit!" I trembled in fear ever so slightly. He was angry. "I said it--" I was cut off by Sessho Maru grabbing my neck and slamming me on the ground, "I told you to TELL me, Inu Yasha. Now will you tell me or WHAT?!" I shook in fear, he wasn't my friend, not at all.   
  
(:A.N:) Uh oh, Sessho's lost it! What does he want from Inu Yasha? No one knows, not even I do!! Maybe you could post suggestions in your reviews? I'm so lost on this story its not even funny. Oh well. Anyways, please review and I'll update sooner! PLEASEEEE? -Mae- 


	29. Speak

(:Disclaimer:) I do not own Inu Yasha. He owns me.  
  
(:A.N:) Hello again. I'm really happy because when I got home from school I had like four new reviews for this story and three reviews for a new story I published this morning called 'Cuts' (You should read it if you like angst stories, or my stories ^ ^) Anyways, because I got so many reviews I am inspired to write! So write I shall!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Twenty-Nine : Speak  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
"I told you to TELL me, Inu Yasha. Now will you tell me or WHAT?!" Sessho Maru screamed, as he tightened his grip around my neck, making it so I couldin't breathe. I didn't know what to do, wether I should tell him the truth or not. Was he after the Shikon no Tama, too? He was so strong already, he didn't need the aid of the jewel to inhance his powers. 'You can't tell him, Inu Yasha, he'll steal the jewel from you. Keep your honor and pride by not telling him. He won't kill you. After all, he's your own brother!' part of me screamed in my head. 'Ha! Do you really think he'd think twice about killing you? He hates you, he always has. You should definately tell him if you don't want him to rip your neck apart with his poison talons!' I decided that it was probably best to tell him... But, then, my plans of revenge... The Shikon no Tama that I had been through so much for; well, all that would be useless. "Speak to me, Inu Yasha. I won't think twice about killing you, you know. In fact, Father wanted me to even if you gave me the jewel. But I fought for you, saying that I wouldin't kill you unless you really truly deserved it, which you do right now. Now tell me, where is the Shikon no Tama!?" I mentally laughed. That bastard. The jewel was in my pocket, my right pocket to be exact. It was buried deep in my pocket, though, so it wouldin't fall out. Apparently he couldin't feel it's aura at all, unlike me. I thought that it would be nearly impossible to not sence the jewel's presence... It's smell, the power it omitted, it was a truly powerful stone. I felt Sessho Maru's talons dig ever so lightly into the thin flesh on my   
neck, making me wince in pain. He had me pinned down by my arms and legs, and I couldin't move at all. I could feel poison slowly dripping into my blood stream, killing everything it touched. Such a sick, powerful toxin. I closed my eyes as my vision grew blurry. "Giving up and dying so soon? How pathedic, you half breeds are worth nothing. No power what so ever, just like a human. Just like your sickly, weak, pathedic human mother, whom Father killed. I even went out and bought the poison for him that day, you know. Cost a pretty penny, if I do say so myself. Yes, it was worth it, very much so. You went out in search of the Shikon no Tama, just as we'd expected. Yes, it was all a plan to get you to steal the Shikon no Tama for us. Now tell me where it is, and I will cure you with my sword." I gasped for air, inhaling only a little bit of air. Sessho Maru moved one of his hands onto my arm, and snapped it backwards, instantly breaking it. I tried to scream, but I couldin't. "Tell me," he urged. I watched the blood gush through the sleeve on my kimono, and down my collar. "This is your last warning, dammit!" Sessho Maru screamed in my face, "I know you're in pain, Little Brother, I know you want me to remove my talons from inside your neck. I can smell your fear. Now tell me where it is before I remove your head from your shoulders." I felt my eyes slowly close on their own, as I gasped for the small amount that I could breathe in. My vision grew dark and blurry, as I fell into a deep sleep.  
  
~*Dream*~  
  
Violet eyes. Midnight black hair. A beautiful melancholy smile. These are the things that I saw as I opened my eyes and my vision came into focus. "Wake up, Inu Yasha. It's a lovely day..." The voice and words I heard rang over and over in my head, echoing throughout my ears. Mother... She was here. "Okaasan, it's you!" I said, practically jumping off of the futon that I was sleeping on and into my mother's arms. She smiled, "You're finally up, good morning sleepy head." She sank down in the rocking chair she was sitting in, and placed the quilt she was working on on the floor, holding me in her soft embrace. "Okaasan... I'm so glad you're here," I said, tears forming in my eyes. "What is wrong, my son?" she asked in a soothing voice. "Ever since you died, Okaasan, I've been so alone. I'm so lonely without you! But... But here you are, safe and sound, content as usual." She smiled, "Died? What on earth are you talking about, Inu Yasha? I'm very much alive, as you can clearly tell from my touch. Yes, I am surely alive." I stood up and walked around the room. I heard Mother begin to hum a sweet, sorrowful melody that was very familiar to me. "Dreams..." I mumbled, "Dreams are so funny... How they play with your emotions. Yes, they are funny, that they are." Then I turned and faced my mother, "Sometimes... I wish that you would stop haunting me in dreams, Okaasan...   
It hurts me so to picture you alive again. I love you Okaasan, I love you ever so much. But... Do you understand how it could hurt me to see you alive in dreams...?" I laughed silently, "No... I'm sure you wouldin't be able to picture it." Mother looked at me with tear filled eyes, "Inu Yasha... I've just missed you so much. Death is very lonely, you see. And it makes me so happy to see your face. And yet it makes me sad to see that you're growing up without me being there to be with you. Yes, as I once told you : People grow little by little every day, even though it is not always visable to them. Yes, you have grown, grown very much to me." I sat down on the futon, curling up into a little ball, allowing tears to stream down my face. Mother came up to me and wrapped her arms around me, and began to cry as well. "As we go on living, we learn little by little... Isn't that right?" she asked, scratching my ears. I nodded, "And... I've learned that I should wake up from these sorrowful dreams. Sayonara."  
  
~*End of Dream*~  
  
I awoke in a cold sweat, wrapped in some blankets on a cold stone floor. I sat up, pushing my hair off of my face. I examined my surrondings, and concluded that I had never been there before. I wasn't scared, though. I was angry. Very angry. I reached into my pocket where the Shikon no Tama should of been... to find that it wasn't there. 'Dammit, Inu Yasha. You let them get the damned jewel!' I screamed at myself. I stood up and punched the nearest cement wall, not even cringing at the pain that shot up my arm. I looked down at my other arm to notice that it was broken. Broken very badly. Blood was still gushing freely from the wound, and from my neck. I noticed that I became dizzy and disorientated suddenly, and I leaned against the wall. 'Poison... I almost forgot.' I went back over to the blankets that were laying on the ground, and let myself collapse onto them, wincing in pain. A few minutes later my father approached the cell that I was being held captive in, and smiled. I noticed that he was holding the Shikon no Tama. "Inu Yasha, my son. Long time no see. I see you're doing well," he laughed, unlocking the cell that I was in. I wanted to get up and attack him, but I had no such strength. He held out the Shikon no Tama. "I hear that you stole this with plans of killing me, eh? Well, no such luck for you, you little bastard," he smirked, kicking me in the side. "Yeah," I said, "and I plan to turn those plans into reality."  
  
(:A.N:) Oh, no! Inu is being held captive! And Minoku stole the jewel from him! Hmm... I wonder whats gonna happen? Review and I'll update quicker! Oh, and to answer some questions:  
Q. Is Kikyo going to appear later on in the fic?  
A. Yes, most likely she will. In fact, I'm almost positive she will.  
Uuh... well thats the only un answered question so far, but if you have any more please post them in your review! Thank you for reading and please review! -Mae- 


	30. Caged

(:Disclaimer:) I don't own Inu Yasha, yadayadayada!  
  
(:A.N:) Well I got a total of one reviews for chapter twenty nine lol. Oh well, and thanks for Howler-the-halfwolf- demon for reviewing it! (Seesh, what a long name! lol) Anyways, here's chapter thirty! Wow, thirty already! I'm happy! Bai baiiii!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Thirty : Caged  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
I huddled in the corner of my cold dark cell, shivering. I was cold, and I was in a great amount of pain. I could feel the poison in my body intoxicating my body. Oh, what a dreadful feeling it was, making you gag and your stomach churn. I was so angry, so very angry. I was a being held captive by my own father, and forced to suffer by my own family. What a sick, sick world this was, yes indeed. I looked up at the stone ceiling that was dripping water from a crack in the corner. Drip... Drip... Drip... Over and over again, driving me mad. I wanted to scream, I wanted to yell and to grab my father by his neck, ringing out every ounce of oxygen in his body. But yet, here I was, laying crippled in the corner behind barred doors. I couldin't even muster the strength to stand on my own two feet, let alone attack the most powerful demon in the Western lands, my father. 'Inu Yasha, how could you of let your guard down? How could you let them steal the Shikon no Tama from you? You're such a fool!' I screamed to myself, mentally slapping myself. I let out a small growl, furious at every living thing. I heard someone approaching slowly, so I sat up, not wanting to seem as weak as I really was. It was Sessho Maru, adorned in his usual expressionless mask. He let his lips curl up in a small smile, as he grabbed one of the bars holding me from the outside world. "Oh, Inu Yasha. What a shame, what a shame to see you here. If you would have just given me the jewel, you wouldin't be here, dying from poison," he said, over dramatically. "Oh, do spare me, brother. I'm in no mood to be pitied by the likes of you." He laughed, "By the likes of me? It seems as if you are suggesting that you are of a greater and higher status than I. If that is what you are indicating, then let me assure you that you are wrong, very, very wrong." He snorted, "In any case, I came here to retrieve you. Father says that it is best to get you some food, and you should bathe. After all, yoy smell horribly of blood and sweat." He opened up the barred door with a small key, and opened it. I slowly got up, trying to focus my vision. I felt myself falling, and grabbed onto the wall to keep my balance. Sessho Maru looked annoyed and grabbed my arm, pulling me out of my cell and down a long hallway.  
  
"Really, Inu Yasha, you're such a nusence, making me escort you down the hall like this," he said, arrogantly. "Oi, I didn't ask you to, bastard," I growled. "Shut up, Inu Yasha. Don't you dare insult me." He grabbed my arm so hard that his claws sunk into my skin, making me wince. I wanted to pull away from his grasp, but I knew I couldin't. I couldin't walk on my own, either, for the poison made me so weak and dizzy. "What the hell do you want with me?" I asked slowly. "To see you suffer, of course. There's no need for hanyo in this world," he laughed, squeezing my arm tighter and dragging me faster. I let out a small whimper as my eyes began to flutter shut. "You best not faint, dear brother. You never know what we could do to you while you sleep," he said, smiling. I growled, and continued through the seemingly endless pathways in the house. We finally entered a large, abuntantly furnished room. Light shone brightly from the windows which were covered with light drapes. Setsuko and my father were sitting next to each other at a low table, eating food and talking. "Father," Sessho Maru said formally, "I've brought Inu Yasha as you requested." My father sipped soup from a bowl, "I see, thank you my son." Father stood up and walked near me, "Aa, Inu Yasha. How nice it is to see you. Thank you for retrieving the Shikon no Tama for me, I greatly appreciate it." I growled, angered by my father's words. "Bastard..." I mumbled under my breath. "What was that? An insult? How daring of you," my father yelled, slapping me across the face. I allowed myself to fall to the ground, not being able to take much more pain before I would faint. Setsuko laughed a loud repititive annoying laugh, "Stupid hanyo." My father walked over to the table that he was sitting at before I entered the room, and scooped some rice into a wooden bowl, grabbing some chop sticks from the center of the table. He shoved the food in my face. "Eat it, it's all you'll be getting for a while," he growled. I took the bowl and ate the cold rice he had offered me. After I finished, I was still hungry but didn't dare ask him for any more food.  
  
After I had cleaned every grain of rice out of the bowl, my father led me to a large room with a big bath in the middle. Steam rose off the surface of the water, and the room was foggy with heat. He handed me a few towels and ordered me to take a bath. "Don't you dare try to leave this room, boy, for you haven't the strength to escape," he warned, staring at me with ice cold eyes. I nodded, "I understand." After he left the room and shut the door I slowly removed my kimono. I noticed all the gashes and wounds on my arms and chest, and all the dried blood that covered my body. I slowly entered the water, my body burning like hell at the touch of the steaming water. The water touching my open wounds made me feel like a thousand knives were stabbing into my body all at once. It took me a few minuted to get used to the temperature of the water, but after I did I sank into the bath, feeling relaxed. I leaned my head back on the cold tile, the cold feeling nice on my hot skin. I yawned, stretching my arms high above my head. I was exhausted and weak due to the poison in my body. I waded through the water over to where there was soap and clothes to wash myself with. I lathered up a cloth with the soap and washed my body, trying my best to clean my wounds and the dry blood from my skin. I rinsed the soap off my skin and slowly got out of the bath water somewhat hesitantly. I dried myself off with a towel and rang out my long hair. I found the kimono that my father had wanted me to wear, and put it on. It was solid black and I didn't like it very much, but I didn't want to anger my father any more by not doing what he requested. I knew that I couldin't stand to take another blow from him, or I would pass out because of the pain. I walked out of the bath room and found my father sitting in a nearby room. "You've finished, it took you long enough. Now you will go to sleep, in the room next to Sessho Maru's," he said. I nodded, too tired to say anything. He lead my up a flight of stairs to a large room with a futon and other furnishings. "Sleep here," he said simply as he walked out of the room. I examined my surroundings : a small futon was laid out in the corner, with a small dresser near it. A low desk was in the other corner, with a small chair pushed under it. A few scrolls hung from the walls, old tapestries of some sort. A bookshelf filled with old books laid against the wall, suggesting that the room was a study of some sort. I sighed, and slowly made myself over to the futon, collapsing on top if it. I had no clue what was going to happen to me now, behing held captive by my father. Maybe it wouldin't be so bad, though. I wouldin't be alone and would have a place to sleep. 'No way will you stay here, Inu Yasha. You're gonna kill Father and get the hell outta here.' I yawned, and drifted off to sleep almost immediately.  
  
(:A.N:) That's it for chapter thirty! God, I am sooo tired. I spent all day trying on dresses for this prom thingy at my school that my friends want me to go to. I don't own any dresses, so I have to get one (God help me). I'm not the dress up type, not at all lol. Oh, well, it's not 'till May so I have a while to find something! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and PLEASE REVIEW! REVIEWWWWW AND I'LL UPDATE SOONERRRR! 


	31. Slave

(:Disclaimer:) I don't own Inu Yasha. Yada, yada, yada.  
  
(:A.N:) Hey minnasan! Sorry I havent't updated lately, but I'm busy with two other fanfics I'm writing (you should check them out!). I rotate writing for my stories, so I'll probably update this story every three days or so, okay? Well, I've kept you waiting long enough, so on to chapter Thirty-One!  
  
Haunting Me in Dreams  
Chapter Thirty-One : Slave  
By : Feng Shui Goddess  
  
I awoke to a pounding pain in my side, like someone was kicking me. I moaned and continued to close my eyes, no where near ready to wake up yet. I was absolutely exhausted from the previous day, and had no intention on getting less than ten hours of sleep. The kicking continued, getting harder and harder, until I got really pissed off and grabbed the leg that was jabbing into my side, stabbing my claws into his flesh. "Damn you, Inu Yasha! How dare you attack someone with such higher priority than you?!" It was Sessho Maru's voiced. I should've figured it was him. He grabbed my by my hair and pulled me from the ground, then he dug his claws into my face. "Back off, Sessho Maru. I'm not going to take any of your shit today, no way no how," I growled, wiping the blood off of my face. "Oh, is that so? Well, you're being held captive at the moment, and are one of our slaves from now on. I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to try to hurt anyone in this house," he said, laughing. I snorted, pushing Sessho Maru off of me, "Oh, PLEASE spare me, Brother." Sessho Maru kicked me back into the wall, and punched me with a lot of power in the stomach, making me feel like I was going to throw up, "I told you not to mock me before, Brother Dearest, and I strongle suggest that you do not continue to." I smirked, but decided not to attack him again. "Father has requested your presence for breakfast, and I strongly suggest that you fulfill his request," Sessho Maru said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the bedroom. "I can walk by myself!" I shouted, pulling back from my brother's firm grip on my arm. "Whatever you'd like, Brother," he said in his monotonious voice, releasing the grip on my arm. As soon as he released his grip on my arm I began to feel dizzy again, forgetting all about the poison that still flowed freely through my veins. I walked sideways unintentionally and bumbed into the wall, leaning and resting on it for a minute. "Stupid hanyou," Sessho Maru growled, grabbing my arm and pulling me through the halls again.  
  
When we reached the dining area of the house, my father and his wench were sitting at the table, slowly eating rice from porcelan bowls. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Inu Yasha," my father said, a fake smile on his face. I ignored him and just stood there, gazing at the wall across the room from me with a newborn interest. I had no intention to speak and interact with my father or his dear wench Setsuko, for I hated them both with a passion. Instead, I disregarded my father's words he spoke to me, seeing how far I could push him before his string snapped. "Listen here, hanyou. When the Lord of the Western Lands speaks to you, it is only correct that you respond," said Setsuko, staring at me with anger whelling up in her eyes. I smirked, "And, when you are the musuko of the Lord of the Western Lands, it is only correct that you act kindly towards him." Setsuko looked angered, and looked at Sessho Maru who punched me hard in the gut once again, making me fall over in pain. "How dare you refer to yourself as an intentional son to Minoku Sama, when you are merely a stupid hanyou and have nothing in common with him," Setsuko said, smirking. I wanted so badly to go over and hurt that wench, and pay her back for treating me so poorly, but I decided not to upon glancing at my brother's poisonous claws. Setsuko then scooped a little bit of rice into a bowl and signaled for me to sit down where she placed the bowl. I did as I was told, and slowly ate the rice, glaring occasionaly at my father who was watching my every move. "Father, what is the purpose of my being here? When am I permitted to leave?" I asked, staring down at the table. "You will stay here as long as I wish, and you will not complain or your stay will be longer than you'd like. If you try to escape, which I know you will not dare attempt, my guards will slay you immediately. Do I make myself clear?" my father said, smiling. I nodded, shivering at the thought a little bit. I hated being held prisoner, being forced to stay somewhere I didn't want to be. "What are you going to do to me?" I asked nervously. "Whatever I want to do, my son," my father said, smirking. I was furious and frightened in equal amounts, wanting badly to charge at my father and destroy him and his wicked heart.  
  
Later that day, I sat quietly in my new room, staring blankly at the white wall. It was hell being where I was, true hell. I thought many times about how easily I could escape from the house and be on my way back home, but yet I knew that if I tried to do something like that, I would be killed, and Father wouldin't think twice about ending my life. He had killed my mother so easily, without any sence of sorrow after she was gone. He had moved on, and probably forgotten all about how he, Mother and I had all lived so happily together in our home. How Sessho Maru treated me like a brother should, and how we would never fight (well, except for Sessho Maru and I, we would fight quite often, but not because we held grudges against eachother). I never realized how good my life was back then, when everyone cared for eachother. I took all my happiness for granted, as did my mother. She would have never pictured in a million years that the one to end her life would be her own mate, nor would I. But it was the truth, the sad, sorrowful, hateful truth. I wondered if my mother knew that Father was still in love with his first mate, Setsuko. I wondered if she would have still loved my father even if she knew that he would kill her and cheat on her with another wench. My mother was very loyal to my father, and loved him dearly with all her heart, I knew it. I could see the love in her eyes every time she looked at him, the look of love and true contentness. I wondered if my father really ever loved my mother, or if he just wanted to use her as a mate? Was he really like that for his whole life, just a scam? Maybe he would just like a woman for her beauty, and not like her for what she truly was, not like her personality or respect her feeling. My mother was a beautiful woman, there was no doubt about it, and I could see how a demon could just want her for her looks. Still, I hoped that they had both loved eachother at one time...  
  
I heard the faint song of birds outside my window, and walked over to it to listen more carefully. I pulled back the drapes that hung over the window, and looked outside at the sun that was slowly setting. I saw many demons standing guard outside the castle with arrows and spears, staring at my window thinking I was going to try to escape. I growled at the guards, wanting them to leave me at peace and not stare into my room. Some of them got the picture and turned around, but some of them did not move at all. I sighed, figuring that it would be of no use to argue with the demons. Instead I sat down by the window sill and stared up at the sky. I looked at the birds, wishing so much that I could be like them and fly away high in the sky, away from all my problems. The sky was slowly turning a brilliant shade of orange as the sun set in the horizon, the clouds turning calming shades of pink and purple. I closed my eyes tightly, and clenched my fists. 'Okaasan, I am still going to get revenge for your death, no matter what Father does to me. I don't care if I don't survive... For I can die happy knowing that I fought for you...'  
  
(:A.N:) Hello, I'm really sorry that this chapter took so long to write! I've been really busy and I found out that I got accepted into the best high school in the state and the IB program! Waii! Now the only thing I have to worry about is reading the Odyssey and doing a report of it which will be due on the first day of high school... God help me! So please excuse the lack of update and I'll work on chapter 32 this weekend! later! -Mae- 


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